Scattered Hearts
by Night Shade 1427
Summary: Cloud, Sora, Roxas and Ven are mermen living in Atlantica. When they interfere with Ursula's attempts to take over the world, things turn nasty. Scattered across the worlds, they're going to need all the help they can get. RiSo, AxR, TxV, LxC. AU.
1. The Stirrings of Trouble

I finally decided to post up another story. I wanted to get a good feel of this one first before I finally posted it but I think I've finally started developing it the way I really wanted to. I'm looking for a beta for the story so if anybody's up to filling that role, I'd appreciate it.

I hope you all enjoy it.

Pairings: Akuroku, Soriku, TerraVen, LeonxCloud

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy or any of the Disney characters. Pity.

* * *

><p>Chapter One: The Stirrings of Trouble<p>

In the depths of the ocean lay a kingdom that remained unknown to the humans up above, outside of legends. This kingdom was known as Atlantica, home to the merfolk, who were quite content with their lives away from the humans.

Atlantica was ruled over by the wise King Triton, who did everything in his power to protect his people from all perceived threats, from up above and down below.

It was currently the threats down below that caused the King the greatest amount of concern.

For that reason, he had called the head of his guard, the young Cloud Strife, to discuss the matter.

King Triton heard someone approaching and he came face to face with a serious-looking blonde with glowing blue eyes and an equally as magnificent blue-green tail.

"You called for me, Sire?" Cloud queried as he floated in front of the King's throne.

"I wanted to speak to you about the current Heartless activity. It's getting worse, isn't it?" the King asked for confirmation.

"Unfortunately," Cloud reported. "They haven't crossed the borders of the kingdom yet but I fear it is only a matter of time until they do. They're waiting for something."

"The question is: what?" the King voiced his opinion. He hated the thought of the growing problem getting any worse. "We didn't have any problem with the Heartless just three years ago. What changed?"

'_Three years ago was when Sora first got his Keyblade,_' Cloud kept his thoughts to himself. As much as he wanted to deny it, he couldn't deny the possibility that the Heartless had arrived, attracted to the light exuding from the hearts of Cloud's three brothers: Sora, Ventus and Roxas.

King Triton observed the young swordsman with compassion. He knew what the blonde was thinking about. He had always been well-tuned with Cloud's feelings, especially after he had taken Cloud and his brothers under his wing after their parents had died over twelve years ago in the same incident that had cost him his Queen.

Cloud, only eleven years old at the time, had become the guardian of his three younger brothers, with Sora being only six and the twins, only four. King Triton had empathized with the boy who had been forced to grow up too fast and did all that he could to help the boy handle his new responsibilities.

It had grown even more difficult for the twenty- three year old to watch over his siblings as not only did they all wield Keyblades but they were also willful teenagers. Cloud couldn't keep as close an eye on them anymore.

"It's difficult raising teenagers, isn't it?" King Triton empathized.

"How you raise seven of them, I do not know," Cloud admitted, causing the King to chuckle in amusement.

"I had help," the King countered. "You know, if you only asked, there would be many a person who would be willing to help you, Cloud. You are quite popular with the ladies, it seems."

"Sora, Ven, and Roxas are my responsibility. No one else could possibly hope to understand them the way I do," Cloud answered, resistant to the idea of giving anyone else any sway over his siblings, especially when they were Keybearers. They already had too much attention focused on them for that.

"You're worried that they would mistreat them for having the Keyblades," King Triton realized.

"It is no secret that many people blame them for the arrival of the Heartless. It is all I can do to ensure that no one tries to harm them," Cloud declared. It was only Cloud's reputation as the fiercest warrior in all of Atlantica that kept anybody from acting out their ill will towards his brothers.

"They are blinded by their fear. If they really knew them, they would see that Sora, Ventus, and Roxas mean them no harm," the King stated.

"Well, until they open their eyes, there is no way I'm letting anybody near the three of them," the overprotective big brother declared, crossing his arms.

King Triton shook his head in exasperation. At this rate, the three teenagers would remain with only Ariel and Flounder for friends.

For the most part, the three brothers seemed content with that, but the aged King could see their loneliness hidden behind the brave faces.

It would take more than a friend or brother's love to fill the hole in the Keybearers' hearts.

He quickly pushed those thoughts from his mind. They were still discussing a serious situation.

"Speaking of your brothers, I believe it may be best if we keep them far from the Heartless. The last thing we need is for them to catch the eyes of the Dark Forces. One Keybearer in one world is odd enough. Three is virtually unheard of. If they fall into the wrong hands, it could spell disaster for us all" the King declared.

"I'll let them know to stay within the borders of Atlantica," Cloud declared, knowing that they weren't going to be pleased with the thought of being restricted. They all had an unfortunate love for exploration, one that Cloud had once shared and lost due to tragic circumstances. '_Please, just this once, __**listen**__ to me,_' he silently pleaded.

KHKHKHKH

"They're staring at us again," a lithe, spiky-haired blonde with a sleek silvery white tail commented as he and his companions swam through the marketplace.

"They're always staring, Ven, you think you'd get used to it by now," his younger twin, Roxas, who looked just like him except for the fact that he possessed a darker grey tail.

"That doesn't mean I have to like it," Ven answered sulkily. He missed the way he and his brothers used to be treated: like they were normal. Ever since they got their Keyblades, people had started avoiding them like the plague. The only ones who ever gave them the time of day was Cloud, Ariel, Flounder, Sebastian, and the King.

Being treated like outcasts in their own home was something that would have driven Roxas and Ven absolutely mad had it not been for Sora's ever present optimism, Cloud's silent love, and Ariel's affection. They kept them from becoming overwhelmed by all of the negative attention.

"Just ignore them. It's their loss if they refuse to see how special you are," the red-haired Princess encouraged them.

"Yeah, we're real special," Roxas groused. "That's why everyone thinks we're a sign of the oncoming apocalypse or something."

"Well, people are stupid if they can't see that we're just like them. So we can use a Keyblade... it's not a crime," Sora inserted. He never let people get him down and he made sure that neither Roxas nor Ven caved under the pressure. He may only be two years older than them but he was still their big brother and he would look out for them as best as he could. He wouldn't let Cloud bear that burden alone.

"Cheer up, you two. We came out to have a little fun, didn't we?" Ariel reminded them. Roxas and Ven glanced at each other. She had a point. There was no way they were going to let anyone get in the way of that.

"So where are we off to today?" Ven asked Ariel, who was the usual one who decided on their adventures.

"I was thinking that we could go to explore the Sunken Ship today," Ariel proposed quietly, scanning the faces of her three friends for any hint of disapproval.

"That's fine with me," Sora chirped happily. Ven was quick to agree as well.

Roxas looked a little reluctant, but seeing how the other three seemed so excited to do that, he didn't have the heart to deny them. "Let's go," he conceded and they all cheered in excitement, rushing off.

They didn't notice a worried looking Sebastian watching them swim away. He should probably tell the King. The teenagers were going awfully close to the borders of the kingdom without any knowledge of the Heartless threat. This was sure to spell out trouble.

KHKHKHKH

Cloud slipped out of his home with a small puzzled frown. His brothers weren't there. They hadn't mentioned any plans to go out. Then again, plans could always change.

_'I just wish they would at least leave a note..._' he thought to himself with a frustrated sigh. _'And they wonder why I worry so much..._'

As he was returning to the castle to resume his guard duties, he saw Sebastian swim over.

"Is there something I can do for you, Sebastian?" he asked the court composer and - Ariel's reluctant babysitter - curiously.

"I just thought you should know... Ariel and your brothers are headed to the Sunken Ship," Sebastian reported nervously.

Cloud frowned. He thought that he'd warned his brothers to stay away from anything that had to do with humans. It was dangerous... especially now with the Heartless so close by.

"Thanks, Sebastian," he stated as he changed his course towards the Sunken Ship.

He knew, on a normal basis, his brothers were more than capable of taking care of themselves but with the rising trouble, Cloud wasn't willing to take any chances. He was going to put a stop to their unintentionally reckless behavior before it had the chance to get them into danger.

KHKHKHKH

"Hey, look what I found!" Sora exclaimed excitedly, as he rushed over to his brothers. He held out three necklaces, each with a different pendant. "Aren't they cool?"

Roxas quickly took the necklace with a shuriken pendant, eyeing it with fascination. "I like it," he agreed, admiring the way the metal glinted in the light.

"Me too," Ventus agreed, taking the necklace that looked like a heart mixed with a cross. "Humans make such interesting things, don't they?"

"Yeah!" Sora agreed with a grin, perfectly happy with the necklace with the crown pendant.

"Don't let Cloud or the King hear you say that," Roxas stated. "They hate everything to do with humans."

"They can't be all that bad," Ariel mused as she joined them, her own discoveries already packed away in her little bag.

While she had lost her mother to the humans, with the Keybearers losing both of their parents, they had all been too young to really remember anything. Therefore, the trauma hadn't taken as great a hold on them and they didn't hate the humans like Cloud and the King did. The three brothers were wary of them, yes, but they weren't scared of them.

"There's no real way of knowing, right? We haven't met any humans," Sora commented with a simple shrug. They had only heard stories, for the most part, from their teachers who tried to warn them away from the humans and from Scuttle, Ariel's annoying seagull friend whose tales were a little farfetched.

"If Cloud had his way, we will never get the chance to," Roxas added his two cents. He was the one closest to their eldest brother, as they were both relatively quiet individuals, but even he thought Cloud was a little too overprotective of them. They were well on their way to becoming adults. They didn't need to be treated like they were fragile and defenseless.

"Do you want to see a human?" Ven asked his brother curiously, noting the wistfulness in Roxas' voice.

"Maybe a little," Roxas admitted. "Just so I can see what they're like for myself instead of needing to depend on the opinions of others. For all I know, they could have been telling us complete lies."

"You never like leaving any mystery unsolved, Rox," Sora grinned. It was one of Roxas' most interesting traits. It led them to get into many great adventures.

Roxas just smirked before he paled as he realized they were no longer alone.

In the time they had spent at the Sunken Ship, they had managed to attract a large amount of Heartless. There were Search Ghosts, Sea Neons, Screwdrivers, Dark Balls and Aqua Tanks.

"We're fucked," Roxas whispered. Even if they were all fully capable of fighting there were a lot more Heartless present than they had ever had to fight before. He didn't know if they would be able to get out of this alright.

"We're only fucked if we give up before we even try," Sora declared, summoning his Keyblade, a simple Kingdom Key.

"We just have to fight our hardest," Ven agreed, summoning his Wayward Wind.

"I suppose that's all we can do," Roxas sighed as he summoned Oblivion and Oathkeeper. He didn't really know why he had two Keyblades while his brothers only had one but he found that it suited him perfectly. He fought best with both in his hands.

"I'll help too," Ariel stated. She was proficient in fighting as well, thanks to Cloud. He believed that Princesses should be able to defend themselves as well, but out of all seven Princesses, it had been Ariel who had taken to his teachings the most. She specialized in using magic but her physical attacks weren't shabby either.

"Then let's go!" Sora let out a battle cry as he lunged straight at the Heartless, confident in their ability to come out of the situation okay.

Ven took on the Dark Balls, his speedy attacks the most useful against the slow Heartless.

Roxas tackled the Aqua Tanks, his vicious and strong blows more than a match for the bulky Heartless.

Sora handled the Search Ghosts and Screwdrivers, his balanced fighting style of both magic and physical attacks serving him well.

Ariel, on the other hand, fought the Sea Neons, where magic was the quickest and most proficient way to deal with the pests.

They fought long and hard, working as a unit, until finally, they had defeated all of the Heartless that had attacked them.

"I can't believe we did it," Sora panted, more than just a little exhausted.

"We were lucky," Roxas remarked, clutching his side. He had taken a rather bad hit there. It would definitely bruise.

"Indeed you were," a grave voice spoke out and the four teenagers whirled around to see Cloud floating there, anger burning in his eerie eyes.

'_Shit,_' all three Keybearers thought, flinching away as their brother approached them.

"Cloud..." Roxas tried to speak up but Cloud held up his hand to silence him.

"We'll talk about this at home. First, we need to get the Princess back to the palace," the guard stated firmly and the teenagers could only obey Cloud's orders and follow him away from the ship.

'_We're in so much trouble,_' Ven thought. They knew Cloud wouldn't be happy with their decision to go to the Sunken Ship but they hadn't thought the situation would get this bad. They had never imagined a Heartless attack. That made their transgression so much worse.

Cloud had never been more scared in his life as he had sensed the presence of the Heartless in the same vicinity as his brothers. He had feared the worst as he had rushed over. He was relieved to see that they were fine, if not a little worse for wear, but he was also angry. If they hadn't wandered so far from home in the first place, they would have never got in this mess.

As they got closer, the three Keybearers were once again subject to the unwanted attention courtesy of the other merfolk.

"_What trouble did they get into this time?_"

"_They even got the Princess caught in their mess. Do they have no shame?_"

"_Poor Cloud has to deal with them on a daily basis. He should just leave them alone. They're old enough to take care of themselves. He shouldn't have to throw his life away to babysit them..._"

The three brothers cringed at every statement but it was the last statement that made Cloud snap.

He paused in his trek and shot all of the onlookers a scathing look.

"If you have nothing useful to say, you better keep your mouth shut before I shut it for you," he warned them, seething with rage at their callous statements. Who were they to demean his brothers like that?

The merfolk quickly averted their eyes in the face of the guard's anger before swimming away, leaving the area clear, and thankfully, much more peaceful as the brothers, and Ariel, made their way towards the palace.

"Thank you," Ven whispered to Cloud, eyes downcast. He blinked in surprise as Cloud placed a hand on his head in his own special form of affection.

"You're my brothers. I won't let anyone speak ill of you, especially in front of me. No matter how harsh I get, you know I will always love you, right?" Cloud declared while he kept his eyes focused straight ahead of him. There was a faint hint of red splashed across his cheeks as he spoke. He didn't often speak such sentimental things because it was embarrassing.

That, more than anything, helped the three brothers be at ease, because they knew that even if they were in a great deal of trouble, Cloud was only trying to look out for them.

King Triton was waiting outside for them when they finally arrived at the Palace, his six other daughters waiting alongside him.

"Ariel!" her eldest sister, Aquata, called out, rushing over to come collect her. She gave the three brothers a reprimanding glare for having got Ariel in trouble before bringing the young redhead to where the other sisters were waiting, ready to coddle her.

"Thank you, for bringing them back, Cloud," the King stated, giving his youngest daughter a scolding look. She had the grace to look remorseful for her reckless behavior.

Cloud simply nodded, more focused on getting his own brothers home at the moment.

"If I may, Sire, I would like to request a week off," he spoke up after a moment's tout.

"May I ask why?" the King wondered.

"I intend to spend that time with my brothers. It appears we have much to discuss," Cloud stated. He not only intended to speak with them but he was going to train them further well. They had handled themselves well today but if there had been any more Heartless... Cloud didn't even want to think about that. He wasn't going to let that happen, no matter what.

King Triton nodded in acceptance, understanding Cloud's feelings. "Take all the time that you need," he granted the request.

"Thank you," Cloud answered with a bow before turning to Sora, Ventus and Roxas. "Come."

They agreed silently, bidding the King and Princesses farewell before they slipped away towards their own home.

KHKHKHKH

Sora, Ventus and Roxas glanced at each other nervously as they waited for Cloud to start speaking.

Anything was preferable over the silence.

"Cloud?" Ventus called out, willing the elder blonde to turn to face them.

"I told you to stay away from anything that had to do with humans, didn't I?" Cloud finally spoke up, his voice sharp.

"Yes," Roxas admitted, looking chastised.

"Then why did you go to that ship?" Cloud demanded to know, glowering at the lot of them.

"We were just curious. It wasn't like the humans were going to come back for it," Sora stated.

"That doesn't matter. You went to a sunken one today, what's to stop you from going up to the surface one day, hmm? Humans are trouble. You don't want to have anything to do with them or their creations. It's too dangerous," Cloud told them firmly.

"It's not like we're just going to go looking for the humans one day. We just wanted to explore a little," Ventus tried to defend them.

Cloud sighed in frustration. "Just promise me that you will be careful. If anything were to happen to you..." he started, eyes darkening at the thought of all of the horrible consequences that could come of his brothers encountering humans.

"We will, Cloud. You don't need to worry," Roxas promised, the most responsible of the three younger brothers.

"I'll hold you to that. Keep in mind that if I ever find out that you deliberately disobeyed me and went to the surface, there will be severe consequences, am I clear?" Cloud stated firmly. Sora, Ven, and Roxas nodded simultaneously.

"You're not just angry about us being near the ship, are you?" Roxas noted. He'd seen the fear in Cloud's eyes when he'd approached them at the ship. It was far more than what it would have been if it had to do with the humans. After all, Cloud possessed more anger towards the humans than fear and he wouldn't tell his brothers why.

"The number of Heartless are increasing at the borders of Atlantica... And you were only a little distance away. I had planned to warn you away from going near the border today only to find you right where you shouldn't have been instead. I was scared... I had hoped to keep you out of the eyes of the Darkness. Keybearers here aren't common as you well know... I would have preferred it to stay that way," Cloud explained, running a hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry, Cloud... We didn't know," Sora apologized, feeling horrible for putting his brother through all of that panic.

"It's alright, just... Don't do it again. Try to lay low for a while, okay?" Cloud urged them.

"We can do that," Ven promised and Cloud let out a relieved smile.

"Thank you," he answered.

"That's why you asked for a week off, didn't you?" Roxas noted. "To keep us out of trouble."

Cloud nodded. "We haven't got to spend much time together recently, with me being so busy. I thought this would be a good opportunity for us to catch up... And to give you all some much needed training. You did good today but you could do better. I want you ready for any possibility, you got it?"

"Yes, sir," the three younger brothers chorused with matching grins. It always amused them to see Cloud turn into a drill sergeant. It may mean that they would be going through an incredibly harsh training regimen but it also meant that they would be spending a whole lot more time as a family, something that had been sorely missed recently.

"Good," Cloud responded, a rare soft look in his eyes.

KHKHKHKH

Keybearers... There were Keybearers in Atlantica.

Ursula had heard the rumors but she hadn't believed them. After all, what were the chances that there would even be a single Keyblade wilder in a small world like Atlantica? Now she found out there wasn't just one, but three. That didn't bode well for her plans at all.

How was she supposed to take over Atlantica if the Keybearers were there to kill off all of her beloved Heartless?

She would have to do something about them but she didn't know what.

First and foremost, however, she needed to report to Maleficent. The evil fairy would want to know about this particular turn of events.

* * *

><p>AN: So, what do you think? Is it good? Is it bad?


	2. A Painful Past

Chapter Two: A Painful Past

"I don't understand why you hang out with those boys, Ariel. They're trouble," Arista told her youngest sister with a huff as she powdered her nose the next morning.

"You don't know them," Ariel defended her friends. "You're just scared because they're different."

"You know the legends about those who bear the Keyblade. They're said to bring chaos and destruction wherever they go," Andrina countered, fear clear in her voice.

"There is also the legend in which Keybearers are meant to save the world," Ariel pointed out. "I don't see why you all have to fixate on a single possibility. There is no way Sora, Roxas, or Ven would ever cause the type of harm you fear they will. They're not like that."

"You're biased, Ariel. They're your friends. Of course you won't think badly of them. You're blinded by your own love," Attina retorted. Ariel glared at her sisters, angered by their prejudice.

"And you're blinded by your fear! You don't know them!" she scowled before she swam off. She couldn't spend any more time with her sisters. She was afraid that if she did, she would use her magic against them in her anger. She ignored their cries as they tried to call her back to them.

She swam right past her father, who glanced after her in concern. He had never seen her look so upset before...

He quickly swam after her, finding her eventually in the center of the Tranquil Gardens, lying on the rock bed.

He swam over, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay, Ariel?" he asked her, sitting next to her.

"I'll be fine," Ariel muttered, not looking at him.

"Do you want to talk about whatever happened?" the King queried. "Was it your sisters?"

"They just make me so angry... How can they think that Sora, Ven and Roxas are capable of such evil? The think they're going to destroy our world, but that's ridiculous, isn't it?" Ariel looked up at her father for confirmation. She knew the King shared her fondness for the Strife brothers.

King Triton sighed as he glanced up, looking at nothing in particular. "I'm not too sure," he admitted, causing Ariel to look at him in shock. That had been the last thing she had expected to escape his lips. He was quick to amend his statement. "I'm not saying they would do it themselves or even mean any of it. The chaos would be caused by the forces that will inevitably attempt to get the three Keybearers in their own grasps. Those who wield the Keyblade are incredibly special individuals and that can lead to a lot of attention, both wanted and unwanted. Their destinies bind them to a life that will hold a lot of difficulty, as unfortunate as that is."

"Is there anything that can be done about that?" Ariel asked, sounding distressed. She didn't like the idea of letting her beloved friends suffer alone.

"I'm afraid not," the King said gravely. "All that we can do is be there for them and support them in whatever may happen. I hope you are up to the task, Ariel. You and Cloud are the ones that they will need the most, I can already tell that much."

"Of course I am," the strong willed Princess declared. "There's no way I'm going to let them face this alone. I'll help them in any way I can!"

King Triton smiled, proud of his daughter. She had grown into a fine young woman and he knew he had her friends to thank for that. "Good," he stated, stroking the top of her head affectionately. "Now you should return home. You're still grounded, you know."

Ariel pouted but nodded obediently. "Yes, Daddy," she acquiesced, kissing his cheek before swimming off back to the palace.

KHKHKHKH

"Is that all you've got?" Cloud taunted Roxas as he skillfully dodged the younger blonde's latest attack.

Roxas scowled. "I'll get you, Cloud," he promised with conviction as he rejoined Sora and Ventus on their end of the training field behind their home.

"Big words... Are you ready to back them up?" the guard smirked.

"It's great that Cloud's being more talkative with us and all, but what's coming out of his mouth is _really_ annoying," Roxas told his other brothers with a scowl.

"He's just trying to get a rise out of you, Rox," Sora told him.

"It seems like it's working too," Ven added with a grin.

"Shut it," Roxas growled. "What is it, Pick-on-Roxas-Day?"

"Yes," all three of his brothers chorused together, enjoying the look of pure outrage that crossed the youngest merman's face. He was just so easy to tease...

"I hate you all," the dual wielding Keybearer decided.

"That's a real pity," Sora replied as he slung an arm around Roxas' shoulder, completely ignoring the dangerous glare the blonde shot his way. "Because we _adore_ you."

Roxas pushed Sora off him with a huff. The brunette just gave him a cheeky grin,

"I thought we're supposed to be training," the youngest of the four declared. "Can we get back to business?"

"Sounds good to me," Ven took pity on the harried-looking Roxas.

"Give me your best shot," Cloud challenged his brothers.

The three Keybearers looked at each other. Within the last fifteen minutes of sparring it had been deduced that trying to attack Cloud separately just wouldn't work. It was time to work their greatest advantage... each other.

Giving each other a silent signal they all rushed off in different directions, swimming around their brother in circles to confuse him as to what exactly he should expect.

Roxas lunged at him first, ever the direct one, engaging Cloud's Buster Blade with both Oathkeeper and Oblivion, locking the large blade in place. His arms strained with exertion as he tried to match Cloud's force. His eldest brother had a monster level of strength... which is the usual reason he and his brothers always ended up trounced by the more experienced warrior.

Ven lunged at Cloud next, from behind, but the guard had anticipated such a maneuver and, in one smooth move, flung Roxas into Ven, knocking them both away. This gave Cloud the room to deal with Sora, who had attacked the moment he saw Roxas and Ven get knocked out of commission.

Sora fought valiantly against Cloud's onslaught but soon enough, he, too, was defeated.

"Well that didn't work," Roxas muttered once he had straightened up. He was quick to help his twin up.

"It was a good effort," Cloud commended them. "But while you were working together, you still fought separately. With a little more time and practice, you might be able to perfect your teamwork and be able to handle even harder odds than what you faced today."

"Like what?" Ven asked. Even with the Heartless threat, there weren't many dangerous situations to be faced in Atlantica.

Cloud's eyes darkened. "You don't need to know right now. Just pray you never have to face them," he stated. Even if they were strong enough to far them, Cloud hoped his brothers would never have to. Knowing the fate of the various Keybearers, he knew that was just wishful thinking.

No matter what his brothers would face in the future, he would do everything in his power to protect them.

KHKHKHKH

Maleficent's eyes glowed with interest as Ursula delivered her report about recent events in Atlantica.

"Three Keybearers... How rare. I can see that they will prove to hinder your movements to take over Atlantica if something isn't done about them," the fairy mused.

"Exactly! I'll start looking into a way to kill them," Ursula proposed, bloodlust shining in her eyes. There was no way in hell that she was going to let three little brats ruin all of her hard work.

"Wait," Maleficent put a stop to Ursula's vicious thoughts. "The Keybearers could be of some use to me."

"How so? Keyblade wielders have always spelled trouble for our plans," the sea witch exclaimed hotly, thinking to the three Keyblade Masters that continued to thwart many of their plans to dominate the various worlds on their way to attain Kingdom Hearts.

"That may be true, but they could be a valuable distraction for our enemies," Maleficent explained. "Imagine if we were to thrust them out of their world to where they will be noticed by both the Light _and _those horrible Nobodies? They will focus more of their attention on dealing with them than they will on interfering with us."

Ursula thought closely about the proposal before grinning malevolently. It was a perfect plan. She would be rid of the nuisances while also helping keep their enemies from getting in their way as well. There was just one problem...

"How do you suppose we'll get past their brother? He's like a guard dog. After the last Heartless attack, there's no chance that he will let them out of his sight long enough for us to send the Keybearers out of Atlantica."

"Then we will simply have to send him away too," the fairy said without missing a beat. "People who interfere shouldn't make you think twice. They'll just meet the same fate."

"That's fine with me," Ursula grinned.

KHKHKHKH

"Hey, Cloud?" Sora broke the comfortable silence the brothers had been laying in later that night when they were just hanging out together.

"Hmm?" the blonde grunted, turning his attention to the brunette with a raised eyebrow.

"Why do you hate humans so much? Is it because of Mom and Dad?" Sora inquired.

Cloud remained uncomfortably silent for a few minutes before he finally spoke.

"...No," he admitted after a few minutes. While it did play some part in his hatred, his dark feelings for those above land ran far deeper.

"Then why?" This time, it was Ven who spoke up. All three Keybearers were interested in what their brother had to say.

Cloud sighed. "I had hoped that I would never have to share this story with you," he mused aloud.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Roxas stated guiltily. He didn't want to cause his brother any distress.

"No, I'll tell you. You deserve to know the truth now," Cloud declared. Maybe if he shared his reasons with them, they might understand why he didn't want them having anything to do with the humans. "It all began about eight years ago, back when my friend, Zack, was still alive..."

(Flashback****)

_"Where are we going, Zack?" fifteen-year old Cloud queried as he swam after his black-haired, violet-tailed companion._

_"You will just have to wait and see, Cloud. Trust me, you'll like it," Zack grinned. _

_"How long is this going to take? I don't want to leave my brothers for too long," Cloud stated._

_Zack sighed sadly. This was why he was taking Cloud out. His poor friend was being forced to grow up way too fast ever since they'd been orphaned four years before. The older merman just wanted the blonde to get to relax every now and then but whenever he tried, all that Cloud could think about was his brothers._

_Zack couldn't really blame him but it still broke his heart to see how his friend sacrificed so much of his life to try to fill in the hole left by his parents' death. He would teach Cloud how to live again... even if it killed him._

_"It won't take that long, Cloud. Just trust me," Zack declared as they continued to swim._

_"I do trust you," Cloud said, setting Zack's mind at ease._

_They swam in silence for a little while before Cloud started getting an idea of where they were headed._

_"We're going to the surface?" the blonde asked uncertainly. He hadn't gone there since the time his parents died and not only because King Triton had forbidden anyone from going to the surface again._

_"Don't fret so much, Cloud. Nothing's going to happen. I just want to show you something, that's all!" Zack stated. "I won't let anything happen to you, Cloud. I promise."_

_"I can take care of myself," Cloud retorted._

_"I know that but doesn't it feel nice to know I've got your back?" Zack countered with a wide grin. _

_Cloud couldn't suppress his own smile. He had to admit that it did feel nice to know that he could count on his friend if anything were to go wrong._

_Once they breached the surface, Zack led Cloud to the shore, where they settled._

_Cloud glanced around nervously, worrying that somebody may discover them._

_"Relax, Cloud. Nobody comes here at this time," Zack insisted._

_"If you say so," Cloud answered reluctantly. He didn't feel right being there... "So what did you want to show me?"_

_"You'll see, it's almost time for it," Zack remarked, looking up at the sky expectantly. Cloud followed his gaze, admiring the way the sky looked outside of the water. He'd missed seeing it in the last few years. He remembered that his parents had loved the sky. It was how he, Sora and Ven got their names. Roxas had a different name because Cloud named him. To the then seven-year-old, Roxas sounded cool so that was how the youngest of the Strife family got his name._

_As they waited, Cloud soon figured out what Zack was trying to show him. "Sunset..." he realized in awe, eyes raking over the scene in front of him. He loved how the sky was painted orange, red and purple by the rays of the sun as it continued its descent. It had always been one of his favorite sights when trips to the surface had been more frequent._

_Zack smiled at him, pleased to see that Cloud was enjoying himself. "Aren't you glad that you came?" he asked the blonde._

_"...Yeah, thank you," Cloud stated, smiling at Zack._

_"No problem," the raven-haired merman grinned._

_They enjoyed the scene a little longer and they were about to return to the safety of the water when things went awry._

_Two humans suddenly burst upon the scene, leaving the two mermen frozen in shock._

_The humans were filthy, clad in smelly, torn rags, with greasy hair and rotten teeth. They were the poorest examples of humans that Zack and Cloud could have possibly encountered._

_The men caught sight of them, sleazy smiles crossing their faces almost instantly._

_"It looks like our luck has finally changed, Bart," one of the men, with a disgustingly nasal voice, exclaimed, leering at the teenaged mermen. "We always said that mermaids were real... Nobody believed us. We became the fuckin' laughing stocks of the entire town. Now we have __**proof**__."_

_"No kidding, Rick," the other male sneered. _

_"Leave us alone," Zack warned them, shifting himself to cover Cloud. He hadn't missed how the men had been eyeing his young friend._

_"Oh, you can understand us? That will make things easier," Rick grinned. "And I'm afraid not, my little paycheck. You and your pretty little friend are going to help us gain a little more respect from the villagers. They're going to regret making fun of us..."_

_"We're not going to help you at all," Cloud snapped, disgusted with the humans' behavior. He hadn't imagined humans to be so utterly vile._

_"Oooh, feisty. I like that. We could have a lot of fun with you," Bart grinned, eyeing Cloud lustfully._

_"You won't touch him!" Zack exclaimed. He knew they needed to get back in the water right __**now**__. They didn't have their weapons on them so the water was the only way they could get out of this mess._

_He started pushing Cloud towards the water as subtly as he could, but unfortunately, the humans noticed._

_"You're not going __**anywhere**__," Rick growled, lunging for the mermen. He managed to force Zack onto his back, pinning his arms above his head in an attempt to restrain the mermen._

_"Let go of him!" Cloud protested the mistreatment, punching Rick off his friend._

_Rick flew off, surprised by the strength behind Cloud's blow. He had figured that the mermen would be completely helpless on the land. It looked like he was wrong. He glared at Cloud. "You're going to pay for that, bitch," he scowled, stumbling onto his feet and moving towards Cloud. Bart flanked him._

_"Stay away from him!" Zack snarled, using the dagger he'd managed to swipe from Rick, during their short tussle, to stab Rick in the leg, causing him to let out a howl of pain as he went down._

_"You bastard!" Bart yelled, kicking Zack across the face, causing the violet-tailed merman to drop his recently procured weapon. "Forget keeping you alive... You'll serve us just fine dead and __**stuffed**__!"_

_Cloud's eyes widened in horror and he tried to rush to his friend's aid but Zack shot him a warning look._

_"Get out of here, Cloud," the older warrior ordered the young merman._

_"I'm not leaving you here!" Cloud protested. _

_"You have a better chance if you leave now. Think of your brothers. They need you more than I do," Zack stated. "They won't survive losing you too."_

_Cloud looked reluctant but he knew that Zack was right. He couldn't risk being taken or killed... Not when Sora, Ven and Roxas were depending on him._

_Still, he gave Zack an uncertain look._

_Zack gave him a reassuring look. "Don't worry about me. I'll follow you soon... I have to deal with these two losers first. Now __**go**__," he ordered. Cloud nodded before diving into the water before the humans could do anything about it._

_"Go after him, Bart," Rick instructed his partner. "I'll deal with this one."_

_"Right," Bart grunted, racing into the water with the hopes of catching the pretty blonde. _

_Zack glared, praying that Cloud would be able to deal with the nuisance better now that he was back in his own element. He turned his attention to Rick, smirking in the face of the human's rage._

_"You've got a lot of guts for a fish," Rick told Zack. "Aren't you scared? I'm going to kill you, you know."_

_"That may be true," Zack conceded before his face contorted into a vicious snarl. "But I'll take you with me!"_

_Meanwhile, back in the water, Cloud breached the surface again, unable to really just leave Zack alone. However, he was too far to stop anything now... So it was to his horror that he witnessed Rick stab Zack in the chest, a clearly fatal blow._

_"NO!" he let out an anguished cry, which was enough of a distraction for Zack to make his final move against him... by taking the knife lodged in himself and plunging it into Rick's heart. The human died instantly._

_With a victorious grin, Zack let himself slowly succumb to the darkness that threatened to consume him._

_"It looks like I won't be following you after all, Cloud..." Zack mused as death finally claimed him._

_Cloud felt his eyes burn with tears as he witnessed Zack take his last breath before the merman slowly dissipated into nothing more than sea foam, as was the fate of all merfolk who died._

_It was at that point that Bart finally managed to catch up to him._

_"Got you!" the sleazy human exclaimed, not quite aware of what had happened back on shore. "You're not all that bright, are you? You should have swum away while you had the chance."_

_Cloud fought back his tears as rage quickly overwhelmed his grief. This was all the humans' fault. They would pay for what they had done..._

_He shot a hateful look at the vile human trying to manhandle him back to shore._

_"You really shouldn't have come onto my turf," Cloud hissed as he quickly reversed their positions so that he was the one grasping Bart, instead of Bart grasping him._

_"Hey, let go!" the human protested right before Cloud dragged him under._

_No matter how much the human struggled against the merman's hold, he couldn't escape and Cloud only watched coldly as the last vestiges of life finally escaped the human. Once he was absolutely certain that Bart was dead, the blonde released him and watched as the body slowly floated to the surface._

_With one last look towards the shore, Cloud swam away, wanting to get as far as he could from what would forever be the worst experience in his entire life. He would never go near the surface again,,, and he would never forgive the humans for what they had cost him. Ever._

(Flashback End****)

Sora, Ven and Roxas were forced into silence after Cloud finished his tale, horrified with their new understanding of the reason behind Cloud's hatred of the humans.

Now they felt even guiltier for having gone toward anything human against Cloud's orders for them to avoid it. They had never known the full depth of the situation.

"I'm sorry..." Roxas was the first to speak.

"Us too," Sora and Ven added as all three brothers surrounded their guardian, comforting him with their affection. The pain in his eyes wasn't something they wanted to see on him. He was burdened by enough as it was.

"We won't go near the humans anymore. We promise," Ven declared soberly. After what Cloud had told them, he wasn't sure that he wanted to.

"That's all that I can ask of you," Cloud said as he pulled himself out of his own memories, patting their heads to show them that he was alright and they didn't need to look so guilty.

He hated upsetting his brothers but he wanted them to understand the sort of danger they were putting themselves in when they got too fascinated with humans and the surface. Now he was certain that they would abide by his request and stay where it was safe. He couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to them. If he were to lose them... he might as well die.

They were all he had left and he would do everything in his power to make sure that none of them would ever experience the pain of loss again, no matter what the cost.


	3. Unwanted Encounter

So here's the next chapter of the story. I have to admit that I haven't yet played Final Fantasy VII, or VIII, so I'm sorry if any of the characters act too OOC in the future. Given that this is an AU and the back stories of several of the characters is significantly altered, some OOC may be inevitable. Nevertheless, I'll try my best to work with what I know of the characters to keep them as IC as possible.

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story... just the idea.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Three: Unwanted Encounter<p>

A week had passed since the three Keybearers and Ariel had been attacked by the Heartless near the Sunken Ship. This marked the end of the teenagers' punishment and they were more than excited to be able to leave the confines of their homes.

"Don't get too close to the borders," Cloud instructed his brothers, hoping that they would obey him this once. Raising teenagers was hard...

"We won't," Sora promised. "We'll be good, Cloud. Promise."

"Good," the guard spoke, sounding relieved. If he could have one day where he wasn't constantly worrying about what his mischievous brothers were up to, it would only be too soon.

It was time for him to resume his work at long last. King Triton had already given him his next assignment before he returned to basic guard duty.

Word had it that a new Cecaelian had arrived near Atlantica, causing a lot of uncertainty and fear within the population. The King wanted Cloud to investigate and get an idea of how serious the possible threat may be. He had specifically told Cloud to attempt to avoid engaging the newcomer in battle unless it was absolutely inevitable. He didn't want the young blonde taking any unnecessary risks when he was working solo. Cloud was strong, yes, but there were always those who were stronger.

Cloud hadn't told his brothers about his mission, knowing that they would either ask to come along or grow too worried about his safety. He didn't want either to happen, so he left them blissfully unaware of it.

Hopefully, it would stay that way.

KHKHKHKH

"I missed you guys!" Ariel exclaimed as she rushed over to three young Strife brothers, embracing them all.

"It's only been a week, Ariel," Roxas voiced his amusement.

"A week too long," she insisted, causing all of them to laugh.

"Your sisters have been driving you nuts, haven't they?" Ventus accurately assessed. Ariel gave a sheepish smile to reveal he spoke the truth.

"What were they annoying you about this time?" Sora wondered.

"You," Ariel admitted soberly. "They were being paranoid about some stupid legends about the Keyblade. It made me _so _mad..."

"You know, maybe they're right..." Roxas mused. Things had definitely changed since they got their Keyblades and not all of it was good. There must be a reason for that...

"Don't think like that!" Ariel exclaimed sharply, getting right into Roxas' space. "You can't let everyone's prejudice affect you! Your Keyblades are a _gift_, not a curse. It's their fault that they can't see that. I know things are going to get hard but at least you have each other... And you have me too."

"Ariel..." Roxas murmured, touched by how emphatic she was in her beliefs. She always knew how to cheer them up when their loneliness started getting the better of them.

"Stay positive," she encouraged the blonde, a warm look on her face.

"I'll try," Roxas promised, almost feeling embarrassed now for nearly losing his faith.

They were quickly distracted from any further conversation when they caught sight of Cloud swimming somewhere.

"He's going the wrong way. The palace is in the opposite direction," Sora frowned, puzzled. "I thought he resumed work today."

"What is he up to? He looks so serious..." Ven wondered, concerned for his brother. Whatever he was doing, it wasn't something small. He could tell that much.

"Let's follow him," Sora stated impulsively, causing his companions to look at him in shock.

"Cloud will kill us if we found out we did," Roxas remarked, knowing how they'd promised Cloud that they would stay out of trouble.

"Then we'll just have to make sure we don't get caught," the brunette answered simply, a wide grin on his face.

"You hold no concept of obedience, do you?" Roxas mused dryly.

"Nope," Sora grinned, completely unrepentant. Both twins shook their heads. Their elder brother would never change.

"Fine, if you really want to go, we'll go," Ven said, realizing there was nothing that they could do but humor Sora's wishes.

"Great," Sora exclaimed. "Let's go!"

KHKHKHKH

Cloud reached the borders of Atlantica, completely unaware that he was being followed. His mind was focused elsewhere.

Cecaelians were extremely dangerous. That was the general consensus. Many merfolk had been victimized by the vile creatures, especially by the resident sea witch... Ursula.

Cloud had a strong feeling that Ursula was the one responsible for all of the Heartless that had been arriving in their world but he couldn't be too certain. He had no proof.

'_Come out..._' the eldest Strife silently willed the Cecaelian. He'd rather get this over with quickly.

As if on cue, a large smokescreen engulfed the area Cloud was floating in, causing him to close his eyes in order to prevent any of the ink from stinging his eyes.

Large, slimy tentacles shot out, wrapping around Cloud's torso, pulling him up against a hard chest.

He grunted upon impact, squirming against the tentacles. He hardly appreciated this treatment at all. It felt disgusting...

As the smokescreen finally cleared off, Cloud was able to twist around to look at who held him in his clutches.

He met eerie, cat-like green eyes as he came face to face with a male Cecaelian with long silver hair and a well-muscled human upper half.

"Let me go," he ordered, blue eyes narrowing dangerously. The half-octopus just smirked.

"I don't think so. It's been so long since I've had a merman in my clutches, especially one as beautiful as you," the Cecaelian declared.

"I'm not beautiful," Cloud snarled. The last time he had been referred as such was by those humans... "Who the fuck are you?"

"Don't deny what you are," the silver-haired man declared, caressing Cloud's cheek gently, eyes gleaming in amusement as Cloud jerked his face away. He would have fun with this one. "You can call me Sephiroth, my dear."

"I'm not your 'dear'," Cloud spat sourly.

"Then what shall I call you?" Sephiroth continued to harass the blonde.

"Cloud, now release me! I have a message for you from King Triton. He's giving you a warning. Do not, on any account, terrorize the merfolk. We'll keep them out of your way as long as you stay within your territory and out of ours. If you cross our borders, he will take drastic actions against you," the guard announced. Sephiroth's eyes gleamed with interest.

"Oh? I suppose he's given you to me as a peace offering then," the Cecaelian made his own assumptions. "Surely he knew I wouldn't release anyone who has entered my territory. You're mine now, Cloud, whether you like it or not. I'm not letting you go."

Cloud felt rage bubbling within him. He was getting pissed with Sephiroth's lack of cooperation. He hadn't come to be claimed like a piece of property.

"I belong to no one," he scowled, casting a Thunder spell, forcing Sephiroth to release him in order to avoid the attack.

"My patience only lasts so long, Cloud. You will submit to me or there will be dire consequences to be faced," the Cecaelian warned.

"Does it look like I care?" Cloud spat. He was getting out of there. Just being in Sephiroth's presence was proving to be bad for his mentality. He kept a hand on the hilt of the Buster Blade attached to his back as a warning to the other male. "Just stay away."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Cloud. I've been looking for a mate and I've chosen you. There is no way I'll let you go now," Sephiroth sneered, not in such a playful mood anymore. It was time to reel his resistant little mate in. "Here's the deal. You agree to be mine and I promise to leave your people alone. I will never lay a finger on them with the intent to harm. Atlantica will remain safe and all that is required is for you to submit. If you refuse, I'll start a reign of terror that the likes of your Kingdom has never seen before. It's your decision."

Cloud stiffened. Now what was he supposed to do? Sephiroth had just basically tied his hands. The blonde couldn't, in good conscience, refuse the Cecaelian now.

He removed his hand from his blade, hating the triumphant smirk that crossed the silver-haired male's face.

"Good choice," Cloud's tormentor declared, pulling Cloud back to him. He gripped Cloud's chin and forced the blonde to meet his eyes. "Time to seal the deal."

He leaned forward to claim Cloud's lips.

KHKHKHKH

Sora, Ven, Roxas and Ariel had observed the entire exchange in horror. They hadn't done anything, at first, because they had faith in Cloud's ability to get out of sticky situations, but now...

"We have to help him!" Sora exclaimed, angry that the Cecaelian had the nerve to take such liberties with their beloved brother. Cloud didn't deserve a life mated to an asshole against his will.

"Cloud told us to lay low..." Roxas whispered, conflicted. He wanted to help but he also knew the importance of them not exposing their abilities with the Keyblade.

"What's the use of lying low if we lose our loved ones because of it?" Ven argued, causing Roxas' eyes to harden. They were right.

No matter what happened, they weren't going to sacrifice anyone for the sake of their own safety, especially Cloud. He was the one that loved them the most and he'd done so much for them. It was time they returned that favor. "Let's go."

KHKHKHKH

Just as Sephiroth was about to kiss Cloud, he was suddenly the target of a volley of furious attacks.

"Aeroga!" Ven called out, blue eyes glowing with rage.

"Blizzaga!" Ariel cried.

"Thundaga!" Sora roared, a vicious gleam in his eyes.

"Firaga!" Roxas added into the chaos.

They weren't going to pull their punches. No one tried to take advantage of Cloud and got away with it.

Sephiroth was forced away from his prey and it took everything in his power to protect himself from the unexpected and surprisingly powerful attacks.

Once the onslaught was over, he glared at the four upstarts that had interfered.

Sora, Ven, Roxas and Ariel all flanked a shell-shocked Cloud, ready to attack again if the situation called for it.

Sephiroth's eyes fell on the Keyblades and his angry look faded into one of interest. How surprising. He had never imagined any Keybearers being present in Atlantica.

"Stay away from our brother!" Ven exclaimed.

"Brother?" Sephiroth repeated, raising an eyebrow. What an interesting turn of events... Cloud became even more enticing in his eyes now.

"What are you guys doing here?" Cloud demanded angrily. "I thought I told you to stay out of trouble!"

"We'd intended to but then we caught you coming here. We were worried about you," Sora admitted.

"You shouldn't have interfered," Cloud stated, fear thrumming through his veins. He could handle anything happening to him. He couldn't let anything happen to them.

"We weren't going to let that bastard have you. You're _ours_," Roxas stated. "We'll only share you with someone who deserves you."

His brothers nodded in agreement.

Cloud was touched by the sentiment but that didn't mean he was happy with them. He would have preferred if they had remained hidden.

"Nosy brats will be punished," Sephiroth sneered, taking out his own, bizarrely long blade in preparation of battle.

"You won't touch them," Cloud warned the Cecaelian, taking his Buster Blade in hand.

"You can mourn your loss later, my mate," Sephiroth promised with a smirk, amused as he saw Cloud shudder in disgust over the endearment.

"Stay away from him!" Sora yelled, growing more tempted to cleave Sephiroth in half with his Keyblade. He still had hold of his rational mind, however, and he knew that it would be difficult to defeat Sephiroth. He could tell the Cecaelian was incredibly strong... more than them.

"Get out of here," Cloud ordered the teenagers. He wasn't going to let any harm come to them.

"We're not going to leave you," Ariel argued. She may not be related to Cloud by blood but she saw him just as much as a big brother as the other three. She wouldn't let anything happen to any of them.

"Lease... If anything were to happen to you..." the guard continued to plead with them.

"How do you think we'd feel if anything happened to you, Cloud? We're in this together now, don't make us leave you," Roxas pleaded and Cloud was forced to concede. His stubborn siblings were just as protective of him as he was of them.

"Fine, have it your way," he finally stated and the teenagers smiled with the acceptance.

"How touching," Sephiroth sneered. "You shouldn't have gotten in the way. Now you'll die."

"You will do no such thing," a sharp voice rang out and everyone turned to see King Triton standing there with a severe frown on his face.

Cloud had never been more relieved in his life. With the King here, with Trident in hand, the blonde doubted even Sephiroth would dare to disobey.

"King Triton, to what do I owe this honor?" Sephiroth drawled, a malevolent gleam in his eyes.

"You were away for too long, Cloud, so I came to investigate. It appears that it's a good thing I did," the King remarked, eyes raking over the forms of the teenagers caught in the fray. They looked sheepish but unrepentant. They didn't regret their actions because it was to save Cloud. They would take any punishment for it.

Realization hit Sephiroth as he glanced at Ariel. He hadn't known that the girl had been one of the seven Princesses of Atlantica. No wonder the King had interfered.

"You will let my guard and the children go, Cecaelian, otherwise I will be forced to take action," the King threatened.

Sephiroth raised his hands in surrender after sheathing his blade. He knew it would be suicide to go up against the King's trident. That didn't mean he would give up, however. He would get his mate one way or another.

Cloud glared at Sephiroth when the silver-haired man met his eyes. He never wanted to see the Cecaelian again.

"Come," King Triton ordered the teenagers and they were quick to follow him. Cloud turned to follow them when Sephiroth called out to him.

"You'll come back to me, Cloud," Sephiroth spoke with conviction.

"Don't count on it," Cloud declared hotly.

"There will be a time where you'll need my help. Do you think it will be so easy to protect your Keybearer siblings? You're only one person. I can help you," Sephiroth remarked.

"Yeah right, you would rather kill them," Cloud snorted.

"They were getting in the way of our mating," Sephiroth scowled. "They had to be punished."

"I will never be your mate," Cloud insisted.

"We shall see. When you fail to protect them with your own hands, you will come running to me for help," Sephiroth promised. "Then you will be mine."

Cloud could only glare before he swam off. He hated to admit it but the conviction in the Cecaelian's voice was disconcerting. It was almost like he knew something that they didn't.

He quickly shook his head to rid himself of the uncertainty. He wouldn't let Sephiroth's premonition come true. He couldn't afford to.

KHKHKHKH

Sora, Ven, Roxas and Ariel squirmed under the heavy gazes of their respective guardians.

"You deliberately put yourself in danger and crossed the borders of the Kingdom after we strictly forbade you. You only just got off your punishment for doing that before. Do you have no self-control?" the King thundered.

"We were worried for Cloud," Ven argued.

"Your brother is a grown merman. He can take care of himself," King Triton said firmly.

"It didn't look like that from where we stood. If we hadn't butted in when we did, Cloud would have been claimed by that bastard," Sora scowled, feeling guilty when he saw his elder brother flinch in shame. He hadn't meant to slight the blonde with his statement.

"There is no doubt that your intentions were well-meant but you can't just throw yourself head first into danger without thinking things through properly. That Cecaelian was far more powerful than all four of you. He would have simply killed all of you and taken your brother by force if it hadn't been for me. You should have gone for help the moment you realized things were going wrong. You need to be more responsible!" the King scolded them harshly.

Now the teenagers looked down in shame. The King was right. Getting help would have been the smarter move.

The King's eyes softened as he saw the remorse in their eyes. "Look, we're just worried for you. We won't always be there to protect you and it would put our minds at ease to know that you will be able to protect yourself well while not letting your emotions get the better of you," he said.

"We'll try not to scare you anymore," Ariel promised. "We won't disappoint you again, Daddy."

"I'll hold you four to that," the King responded and the teenagers nodded quickly. They would do their best to meet the expectations of their loved ones. The last thing that they wanted to do was disappoint them. "You're dismissed."

Sora, Ven, Roxas and Ariel bowed respectfully before slipping out of the Throne Room, glad that they weren't going to be punished for their transgression.

It was then that King Triton turned to Cloud, looking concerned. "Are you okay?" he asked the blonde.

"No," Cloud admitted. "I'm... humiliated."

"What happened wasn't your fault. There was nothing that you could have done, Cloud. There was no way that you could have expected the Cecaelian to attempt mating you and from what your brothers have told me, he didn't leave you much room to fight against the claim," the King reassured the young guard.

"To think that my brothers saw me like that and that they had to rescue me... That is the last thing I ever wanted. It's my duty to watch over them, not the other way around," Cloud stated. This failure left him feeling inadequate.

"Your brothers don't think any less of you for what happened. They love you more than anything and their actions reflect that. They would jump into the depths of hell to save you as you would for them. Nothing is going to make them love you any less," the elder male commented. "It's okay to show weakness every once in a while. They will understand."

Cloud just remained disconcertingly silent.

KHKHKHKH

"Cloud Strife, Guardian of the Keybearers of Atlantica... I will make you mine," Sephiroth vowed to himself, debating how he could draw the blonde to him.

"I can help you with that," a slippery voice rang out. Sephiroth glanced up to see Ursula approaching him.

"How do you propose to do that?" the silver-haired Cecaelian inquired.

"Well, here's the thing, his Keyblade brat brothers are huge thorns in my side. Help me scatter them across the other worlds and Cloud will most certainly rush straight into your arms in his desperation to save them. After all, who could best counteract a Cecaelian's magic other than another Cecaelian?" Ursula proposed with a malicious smirk.

"What do you want of me?" Sephiroth queried, seeing some merit in the plan.

"I justly need you to create a large scale distraction," Ursula stated. "In the chaos, I can make my move against the Keybearers."

"That's all you need me to do?" the wielder of Masamune clarified. Such a thing wouldn't take that much effort on his part and he could have fun doing so. As long as he got his mate in the end, nothing else mattered. "You have yourself a deal, sea witch."

"Excellent," the obese Cecaelian smirked.


	4. Scattered

**Disclaimer**: You know the drill by now.

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><p>Chapter Four: Scattered<p>

A few more weeks passed by without incident and things steadily returned to normal for the Strife brothers and the royal family. Cloud was still keeping an eye on the Heartless that stayed at the borders of Atlantica while steering clear of what had been established as Sephiroth's territory. He didn't want a repeat of the first and only time he had ever encountered the Cecaelian.

Sora, Ven, Roxas and Ariel had behaved as well as they could, realizing that they were on thin ice with their guardians and it wouldn't be good to upset them any further. The thing was... they were getting bored.

"We've been stuck exploring all of the same places for the last three weeks... There's nothing to do here anymore!" Sora complained, crossing his arms with a huff.

"What else can we do, Sora? We can't go past the borders and we're not allowed near the surface. We just have to make do with what we have," Ven remarked.

"But that's boring!" Sora whined as they entered Ariel's Grotto.

"What can we do about that, Sora?" Roxas sighed. "Nothing."

"You guys are no fun," Sora pouted, puffing his cheeks out.

"Sorry," Roxas and Ven chorused together with a roll of their eyes.

They turned their attention to Ariel, who had, up to that point, been admiring all of her human trinkets.

"So what do you want to do, Ariel?" Ven asked the redhead, hoping she might have an idea of something that could satisfy Sora's need for entertainment. He was driving them nuts.

"We could go to the market," she suggested.

"We did that two days ago," Roxas reminded the Princess.

"We could sing and play with the dolphins," she tried again.

"We did that yesterday," Ven sighed.

Ariel deflated. They had really exhausted all of their normal activities beyond the point of tolerance. Being restricted in their options really sucked.

It was at that point that a shadow suddenly passed over them and they glanced up to see something glide over the top of the grotto.

"What's that?" Ariel wondered, swimming out of the grotto to go investigate. The brothers were quick to follow.

They paled as they saw the redhead go towards the surface. Now they were conflicted. On one end, they had promised Cloud they would never go to the surface, but on the other end, they couldn't just leave Ariel alone...

Seeing abandoning her as the greater evil, the brothers rushed after her, hoping that nothing bad would happen to them while they were up there like what had happened to their brother.

Fortunately, no human caught sight of them during their time above the surface. Unfortunately, Ariel fell in love... with a human Prince.

"This isn't good..." Roxas muttered from where he and his brothers were spying on Ariel singing to the young raven-haired Prince on the shore where she'd placed him after saving him from drowning. "We should have stopped her."

"How were we supposed to know she'd fall for him? We all know that nothing could have stopped her from saving him. Human or not, he needed rescuing and she wouldn't just let him die. Neither would we, for that matter," Sora stated. "We can't help with matters of the heart. They're unpredictable."

"She's going to get hurt," Roxas fretted.

"All that we can do is be there for her. I don't want to break her heart," Ven mused and his brothers couldn't help but agree. This was Ariel's first love. They didn't want to be the ones to crush it if it was as ill-fated as they imagined it to be.

KHKHKHKH

A few days had passed since Ariel had rescued Prince Eric and she was still as lovesick as ever and people were beginning to notice, even her own father.

It was due to King Triton's odd behavior that Cloud began to grow curious.

"You look awfully happy, Sire," he commented after watching the aged King smile at a flower for the last five minutes.

"Ah yes," the King admitted. "It would seem that my young Ariel is in love. I wonder who the lucky merman is. Could it possibly be Sora? Or maybe Roxas or Ven strike her fancy..."

"I don't think it would be any of them," Cloud mused aloud. "Ariel sees us as her brothers. I don't think she would be able to think of any of my brothers in a romantic manner."

"You may be right," King Triton visibly deflated. He most certainly wouldn't have minded if Ariel had fallen for one of the Keybearers. They were fine young mermen, worthy of her hand in marriage if she so wished it. "Who could it be?"

"I'm sure we'll find out soon, Sire," Cloud said patiently, honoring his King's happiness.

KHKHKHKH

"I want the old Ariel back..." Sora muttered as he and the twins watched Ariel from a distance as she pulled petals off flowers in an absent-minded manner. "All that she does now is think about _him_."

"Cut her some slack, Sora. Love does funny things to people," Ven stated.

"How would you know? You've never been in love before," Sora argued, causing Ven to glower at him.

"Neither have you," he countered.

"That's enough arguing, _children_," Roxas cut them off before they could start squabbling, inadvertently directing their ire towards him.

"You're the youngest of us!" they exclaimed, playfully tackling the dual wielder another started a three way tussle until they saw Flounder approaching them.

"What's up?" Sora asked the skittish fish, curious to see what he wanted.

"I think I found something Ariel will really like. It might help get her out of this... mood that she's in," Flounder stated.

The brothers glanced at each other and then at their listless friend.

"Anything is worth a shot," Ven declared and they followed Flounder.

What they found shocked them. It was a statue of the very Prince that Ariel was in love with. They recalled seeing it on the ship the Prince had been on before it had sunk in the midst of the vicious thunder storm.

"She would love it," Sora remarked, although he wasn't terribly pleased about that. They had tried to subtly dissuade Ariel from falling in love with a human but nothing worked. In the end, they only wanted to see her happy and if this statue would help them achieve that, then so be it.

"How are we going to get it out?" Roxas wondered.

"A Magnera spell should do the trick. That's your specialty, Sora," Ven said.

"Leave it to me," the brunette stated. "Magnera!"

Slowly and carefully, Sora lifted the statue and started guiding it towards Ariel's Grotto. He knew the perfect spot for it.

KHKHKHKH

"What's going on?" Ariel wondered as the three Keybearers led her towards her grotto.

"It's a surprise," Sora winked.

Roxas and Ven moved the rock blocking the entrance of the grotto away, allowing the other two teenagers to enter before they followed after them.

The moment Ariel's eyes fell on the new addition amongst all of her precious treasures, her eyes lit up brighter than the brothers had ever witnessed before.

"Do you like it?" Ven queried nervously.

"I love it!" Ariel exclaimed, embracing her beloved friends. "Thank you."

"We'd do anything for you, Ariel. You know that," Roxas stated with a bright smile.

Ariel turned her attention to the statue, a lovesick look on her face as she admired it. She circled around it before embracing it. "He's perfect," she sighed, resting her head against its shoulder. "Oh how I wish that I could be human so that I could run away with you..."

"...What?" an angered voice rang out and the four teenagers whirled around to see King Triton and Cloud standing there, looking wide-eyed in the face of Ariel's declaration.

"Daddy!" Ariel cried out in alarm, pulling back from the statue, looking rather guilty.

"So all of this time... You've been in love with a _ human_?" the King raged. "Are you absolutely mad? You could never be together. He's a human... You're a mermaid!"

"It doesn't matter!" Ariel retorted, glaring at her father. Not even he had the right to denounce her love like that. He didn't understand her feelings at all.

King Triton whirled on the Keybearers.

"You knew about this?" he demanded answers, causing them to flinch at his harsh tone.

"Yes," Sora admitted, feeling a hell of a lot worse when he saw the betrayed look on Cloud's face.

"You didn't try to dissuade her?" the King continued, his voice dangerously solemn.

"We didn't want to hurt her," Roxas admitted, making Ariel look at them in surprise at hearing how they weren't fully supportive of her love like she thought they were. The hurt in her eyes only made the boys feel worse.

"You didn't want to hurt her," King Triton repeated, his patience growing even thinner. "Do you realize that she would be hurt more if she tried to pursue this ridiculous love in the first place?"

"We thought time would smooth things over..." Ven admitted, feeling worse with every passing second. They had hurt everyone with their silence. They should have laid out all of their feelings from the beginning before letting things escalate this far.

"Time doesn't heal everything," King Triton replied. "It appears that all of you are still too naive to make responsible decisions. I'm afraid I can't look past your actions this time. You will be punished as I see fit, and I'll start with _this._

"Daddy, no!" Ariel cried as the King raised his glowing trident before he destroyed her beloved statue right before all of their eyes before leaving. Tears filled the redhead's eyes as she gazed upon the debris. With a broken sob, she swam away, her face hidden in her hands.

Sora, Ven and Roxas aimed to rush after her but they found their path blocked by Cloud, who looked angrier than they had ever seen him.

"You're not going anywhere," the guard said firmly and the three Keybearers stilled.

"Cloud, please, we can explain..." Roxas tried to reason with the eldest Strife but Cloud wouldn't hear it, not this time.

"For her to have fallen in love with a human, she went to the surface. I take it that means you went too, even after I told you not to," Cloud declared, eyes narrowed. When his brothers looked down, confirming his statement, his glare grew more dangerous. "Even after I told you the danger, you ignored it and did as you pleased again. I thought I raised you better than that."

"We just wanted to protect her!" Ven argued, recoiling as Cloud directed his glare towards him.

"You did a fine job with that... allowing her to fall for a human. How could you let that happen?" Cloud scowled.

"We can't tell someone who they can and can't love. We have no right to do that," Sora exclaimed vehemently. "If Ariel wants to love a human, she should be free to do so. The human she saved wasn't anything like what you told us humans were like. From what we saw, he seemed like a decent guy. Telling her that she had to forget her love would be too cruel!"

"Sometimes in order to save the ones you love, you _have_ to be cruel," Cloud said.

"That may work for you, Cloud, but not for us. We weren't going to lose our best and _only _friend just because we ignored her own feelings for what _we_ thought was right," Roxas spoke up.

Cloud was about to say something else when the sounds of fighting and screams filtered through the air. His eyes sharpened immediately.

"Go find the Princess and being her back here. Once you have, don't go _anywhere_, am I understood? You will not like the consequences if you disobey me again," the guard instructed before he rushed out of the grotto to go investigate the situation.

"Let's go," Sora stated soberly and the three brothers headed to the Tranquil Gardens. They knew they would find Ariel there.

KHKHKHKH

"What's going on?" Cloud demanded to know as he rushed to his King's side.

"The Heartless have finally made their move," King Tritin reported gravely. "What poor timing..."

Cloud couldn't help but agree as he lunged into battle, hoping to nullify the threat before it could get any worse.

Unfortunately, he met resistance in the form of a certain silver-haired Cecaelian.

"What are you doing here?" Cloud demanded, glaring viciously at the man in front of him.

"I told you, didn't I? If you refused to submit to me, I would come for you, causing destruction in my wake. You really should have listened to me," Sephiroth smirked.

"I'll never submit to you!" Cloud vowed.

"We shall see," Sephiroth answered. There was something about the smirk on his face that made Cloud uneasy.

KHKHKHKH

Sora, Ven and Roxas swam through the all of the chaos, adrenaline coursing through their veins.

"This is horrible," Ven remarked in distress, watching the Heartless terrorize the merfolk.

"We've got to get to Ariel and fast," Roxas declared. He didn't like the thought of his friend being caught up in the middle of all of this.

"We'll find her," Sora said. "We have to."

They slashed through any Heartless that came their way but they didn't make any stops. They trusted the King and his guards to deal with the other menaces. They had their orders and for once, they were going to follow them. They were already in enough trouble.

When they entered Tranquil Gardens, they found it eerily empty of all Heartless. Instead, they found Ariel talking with none other than Ursula.

"Get away from her!" Roxas yelled as the three brothers stood in front of Ariel protectively.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ariel asked in confusion.

"We came to get you. Atlantica is under attack," Ven informed the Princess before glowering at Ursula. "I wouldn't doubt that _she's_ the one responsible."

Ursula shot the older twin a wounded look, placing a hand above her heart.

"Now that's just mean. I've done nothing to earn such hostility. All I've ever wanted to do was help poor unfortunate souls like the young Princess here... And even you three," the sea witch lied.

The brothers frowned in confusion. How were they 'poor unfortunate souls'?

"It bothers you, doesn't it? That nobody except young Ariel, the King and your brother show an ounce of love towards you because of what you are. As Keybearers, you're meant to be treated as heroes, not like the plague. That's hardly fair at all," Ursula sympathized. "Poor Ariel is forbidden from being with her love and you are ostracized and denied your own freedom. It makes me furious just thinking about the injustice."

Sora, Ven and Roxas averted their eyes. She was bringing up their biggest vulnerability and making them face it despite their best efforts to ignore it. It was hardly a pleasant experience.

"I can help you, you know," Ursula continued. "All you have to do is say yes, and I can grant you all what you most desire. Ariel can be with her Prince, and you three... You could be given the chance to start anew, without the stigma of being Keybearers dragging you down. You could be _happy_. That is, unless you're happy being trapped here under your brother's restrictive eye, unable to do as your heart commands you because it's deemed too _dangerous_"

The Keybearers hated to admit it but what Ursula offered was incredibly tempting. For far too long, they had been mistreated and confined because of what they were. If they were able to move away from that...

"How would you expect to change our situation for the better?" Roxas wished for more information before they could make any decisions.

"You could start over in a new world, where nobody knows you, where you could be _normal_," Ursula tried to entice them.

"Leave Atlantica?" Ven realized, sounding hesitant. "But then we would never see our brother again..."

"Why should you even put him under consideration? He can never understand the full depth of your pain. He doesn't have a Keyblade. Instead of helping you grow as individuals so that you could prove yourselves as something more than the harbingers of destruction that so many people believe you are, he hid you as if he was _ashamed_ of you. Is that really something a brother should do?" Ursula continued to try to persuade them.

"Cloud loves us," Sora protested against Ursula's claims, though his normally unwavering voice faltered as he began to question his own beliefs.

"I'm sure he does," Ursula conceded. "But does he love you enough? If he did, would you be able to fill the void in your hearts? If he really loved you as much as you needed, you would never feel the sting of loneliness."

She secretly grinned as she saw the Keybearers' wills begin to wear down in the face of her manipulations. All four teenagers were desperate souls calling for attention and the freedom to follow their hearts. They were the easiest type of prey to work with. That was why she had waited so long to make her move.

Nothing made her happier than crushing the hearts of the people she was supposedly helping. It made the satisfaction she felt that much greater in the end.

That was when the brothers heard the screams again and they quickly snapped out of their temptation-induced daze.

"We don't have time to deal with this," Roxas said sharply. "We need to bring Ariel back."

"But..." Ariel protested, the thought of never getting to be with Eric causing her to hesitate.

"Look Ariel, if you truly love him, we'll find a way to bring you together, I promise. We just need to get out of here, _now_," Roxas insisted.

"Fine," Ariel conceded, trusting in her friends.

Ursula's somewhat pleasant exterior melted away in a few short seconds. "You're not going anywhere," she scowled menacingly. "I was trying to be nice by making it seem like you had a choice but it looks like that was a wasted effort. I'm afraid I can't let you get in my way any longer."

"I knew she was trouble!" Ventus exclaimed as the three brothers summoned their Keyblades. They weren't going to let her do what she wanted without a fight.

"I'm afraid your little blades won't help you this time," Ursula smirked as she started chanting a spell. Three glowing black orbs shot out and struck the boys' hearts. They let out screams of pain as it felt as if their hearts were being ripped apart.

Ariel could only watch in horror as the orbs extracted themselves from her fiends' bodies, each containing alarmingly familiar key-chains in the shape of the boys' respective Keyblades.

Glancing at Ursula, she saw the manic grin on the Cecaelian's face as the orbs were absorbed into the sea witch's seashell necklace.

"You're mine now," Ursula grinned, looking crazed as she began to chant once more.

This time, larger green orbs grabbed all four teenagers.

The screams of pain began anew as they started undergoing a transformation as Ursula willed it.

Their beautiful tails split in two as they gained human legs, and in doing so, lost their ability to breathe under water.

Before they could drown, the orbs of light shot through the air, sending the helpless new humans out of Atlantica and far away from one another.

Ursula grinned in triumph. She'd done as she had desired and removed her biggest threat from the world. Now, Atlantica would be all hers. All that she had to do was wrest the trident from King Triton's hands...

KHKHKHKH

Cloud paused in his attack against Sephiroth when he saw four orbs of light shoot up from the direction of the Tranquil Gardens. He felt something twinge in his own heart at the sight.

That opening was all the Cecaelian needed to pin Cloud against a nearby wall.

"Those orbs are a sign... that your brothers are no longer in this world," Sephiroth smirked, enjoying the sight of the fear in Cloud's eyes before it turned into anger. Cloud forced Sephiroth off of him.

"What did you do to them?" he demanded to know, gritting his teeth.

"I did nothing," the Cecaelian said calmly. "But I can help you save them."

"I don't want anything to do with you," Cloud insisted.

"They were forced out by Cecaelian magic. Only the magic of another Cecaelian can help you now," Sephiroth remarked simply.

"There's still the King's trident," Cloud countered but Sephiroth continued to smirk.

"You mean _that _trident?" he mused, gesturing to the trident held in a Screwdriver's hands as it raced away from the King, who was being ambushed by countless other Heartless as the thieving Screwdriver raced right to Ursula...

"No!" the blonde cried out as Ursula got her hands on the weapon, signaling a turn in the tide of the battle... for the worse.

"The power to control the seven seas... is now in my hands!" Ursula cackled as everyone observing began to quake in fear.

Cloud was about to lunge to try to stop her but found himself caught by Sephiroth. "Let me go," he yelled, resisting as the silver-haired male began to drag him away.

"I can't do that," Sephiroth answered. "If I do, you'll go and get yourself killed. You can't stop her as you are, not when she holds the trident."

"I have to try!" Cloud demanded, continuing his struggle,

"What good would you be to your brothers then?" the Cecaelian countered. "You can't help them if you're dead."

Cloud went limp then, frustrated. He despised feeling helpless.

The blonde let Sephiroth take him away, his mind completely numb as he thought of how he not only failed his King and Princess, but his brothers as well. He had sworn to protect them from everything and he failed. What kind of guardian was he?

"My offer still stands," Sephiroth declared, once he'd carried Cloud away to his territory.

"Why would you help me? You already have me where you want me..." Cloud frowned.

"I may look cruel, Cloud, but I'd rather my future mate be happy rather than broken," the Cecaelian said. "I will grant you the opportunity to find and rescue your brothers and Princess. In return, you will become my mate _willingly_ and without complaint."

Cloud considered Sephiroth's words. There really was only one option available to him...

"One more thing, if you do this, you must let no one know that you are a merman," Sephiroth declared seriously. "If anyone discovers you, they will have to accept you for what you are within twenty-four hours or you will return to being a merman completely and you will be forced to return to me immediately with no other chance to save your brothers."

"I have a condition of my own," Cloud stated after a few moments of consideration.

"Name it," Sephiroth stated.

"No matter what, you won't hurt my brothers, _or_ the Princess in any way, otherwise our mating is off," Cloud said.

"You're always thinking of your brothers, aren't you? Nevertheless, that sounds fair enough. I promise to not lay a single finger on your charges. If I do, you're free from my claim," Sephiroth vowed.

"We have a deal," Cloud stated, knowing he had no other choice.

"Excellent," Sephiroth smirked, knowing Cloud would be his at long last.

Cloud squeezed his eyes shut and tilted his head up as Sephiroth's lips crashed into his as they sealed the deal.


	5. Far From Home

Chapter Five: Far From Home

"Do you have something to report, Ursula?" Maleficent queried as the sea witch approached her.

"The deed is done. Those pathetic Keyblade brats are scattered across the worlds and Atlantica is mine," Ursula smirked in triumph.

"It took you long enough," the fairy snorted. "I had expected you to have taken care of them long ago."

Ursula scowled. "Just be happy I did anything about then in the first place. I could have just left the mess for _you_ to clean up. You're the one who wants Kingdom Hearts so much."

"Hn," Maleficent snorted, turning away from Ursula. "If you have nothing valuable to report, you may go."

Ursula glared. She really hated how Maleficent acted. Just because she was the one to come up ith the idea of working together to attain Kingdom Hearts didn't mean that she could treat everyone as if they were beneath her. It pissed the sea witch off.

KHKHKHKH

Ven woke up, feeling as if his body was completely foreign to him. He couldn't feel his tail...

Groaning, he opened his eyes and glanced around. He was resting against what he recognized as a tree, something he'd seen on his excursions to the surface. But what was one doing under the water?

As the grogginess he suffered from finally faded away, Ven came to the obvious answer. He wasn't under the water anymore, he was in the surface world. He shot up in alarm instantly, only to tumble face first into the ground as he became aware of yet another obvious fact: he had legs.

'_I'm... human?_' Ven thought in disbelief as he pushed himself up and looked down at his new appendages. He gawked at them, mind having difficulty processing their existence. His legs were locked together as if he still possessed a tail but he knew that if he wished to gain any mobility, he was going to need to learn how to use the legs the way they were meant to be used.

Slowly, he separated his legs and moved gingerly as he experimented with the movements needed to get him off the ground. He was hardly in the most graceful of positions, after all.

His legs nearly buckled underneath him once Ven managed to stand up but he held strong, determined not to fall again. That didn't stop his legs from trembling under his weight. His new limbs were as weak as a newborn's. He could already tell it would take him a while before he would move with the same fluidity that real humans had.

'_Now let's try walking,_' Ven mused, a look of concentration on his face as he moved one leg forward. He tilted to one side as he began to lose his balance, his planted leg not liking bearing his weight by itself for even a second. He quickly planted his other leg back down again. Walking was a lot harder than it looked... but he wasn't going to give up.

He doubted Sora or Roxas would in his place.

Upon thinking of his brothers, everything that had happened before came back to him. They'd been about to face the sea witch and then... pain.

Ven shuddered in remembrance, placing a hand over his heart. She had taken something from them...

'_Please don't tell me..._' he realized the worst possibility. Holding his hand out, he tried to summon his Keyblade but he was met with nothing...

Ven's eyes widened and he reeled back in shock. She had taken what Ven had never imagined being taken away from him. He hadn't known it was possible to steal the Keyblade away from its user.

No wonder he felt so empty...

Running a hand through his hair in distress, he tried to process everything else. After the Keyblades had been taken, Ursula had cast another spell, which was most likely what turned them human and sent them to wherever they were... And from the looks of it, she hadn't sent them all to the same place...

Ven was truly alone for the first time in his life and he most certainly didn't like it.

KHKHKHKH

Elsewhere, a young man in brown and red armor flew through the Lanes Between. He was aiming to head to Yen Sid's tower but then he'd detected a strange light coming from a supposedly dead world, the Enchanted Dominion.

Intrigued, he headed in that direction. After all, how could there be light in a world that had been consumed by darkness so long ago? The only ones he'd seen with light so bright were the Princesses of Heart.

The Princess of Heart from the Enchanted Dominion had already been captured by the Darkness, so who could be shining so brightly?

Terra would like to say that it was only the curiosity of a Keyblade Master that was drawing him to the light, but he knew that wasn't true. He had his own darkness inside him, and that darkness was being drawn to the light like a moth to a flame. He couldn't resist it even if he tried.

When he arrived in the Enchanted Dominion, he knew that things were going to get chaotic. He could feel the restlessness of the Heartless. They sensed the light too... And they wanted it.

'_Sorry, but I plan to get it first,_' the dark, possessive part of Terra thought before he could push it away. He shouldn't think like that... It wasn't becoming of a Keyblade Master. In fact, his darkness had been the reason the late Master Eraqus had constantly refused to pass Terra when he took the Mark of Mastery Exam. Terra's frustration had almost led him to make the biggest mistake of his life as he had turned to Master Xehanort for guidance, only to be fed lie after lie that had almost made Terra turn his back on the life he had always known... if it hadn't been for Aqua knocking some sense back into him.

By that time, however, it had been too late to save Master Eraqus or the Land of Departure. Both losses had hardened Terra's heart. His hatred for Master Xehanort had grown monumentally. He blamed himself more, however, for falling for all of the corrupt man's enticing lies.

'_Never again,_' he promised himself. He wouldn't succumb to the darkness again. He wouldn't let himself, but it was so hard...

A loud scream pierced through his reverie and Terra looked up, he saw a diminutive blonde boy, clad in what looked like a simple white sheet wrapped around his waist, running away from a large torrent of Heartless.

Going into battle mode, Terra called on his Keyblade, Chaos Ripper, and lunged towards the Heartless.

Seeing him approaching, the blonde's eyes glowed with an even greater amount of fear, puzzling Terra. Yelling, the younger boy ducked down while Terra leapt over him to get to his pursuers,

Ven peeked through his fingers as he observed the Keyblade-wielding human rip through his attackers using brute force alone. It was an impressive, and yet, frightening sight for the former merman. What if the human decided to turn his aggression onto him? Ven was completely helpless. He wouldn't stand a chance.

Things seemed to be going well for Terra in the beginning but that changed as he realized that for every Heartless he killed, three more took their place. Seeing that he was fighting a losing battle, Terra decided that retreating was the only option.

Cutting through the Heartless blocking his way, Terra grabbed the young blonde by his waist, tossing him over his shoulder unceremoniously before racing into the depths of the forest, Ven's terrified screams echoing through the air.

KHKHKHKH

Terra carried the boy to the castle that once belonged to the Princess of Heart, Aurora. They should be safe there for a while. Having grown fed up with the boy's screams and protests, he dropped Ven onto the ground and glared at him.

"What's your problem?" he demanded, his patience having reached its limit on the way to the castle.

Rubbing out the frightened tears that had threatened to escape his eyes, Ven glowered at the human that had whisked him away against his own will. "'What's my problem?' How would you feel if a complete stranger just carried you away?" he exclaimed hotly.

"I just saved your life," Terra pointed out.

"That doesn't give you the right to manhandle me!" Ven argued back.

"My apologies, _Princess_. I didn't realize you were so delicate," Terra stated sarcastically.

Ven's eyes flashed in anger. "I'll show you _delicate_," he raged before giving a surprisingly harsh punch to Terra's abdomen, causing the larger male to double over with a loud pained gasp. Ven silently thanked Cloud for helping him learn to put more force into his attacks. His speed would only help him so much.

Terra staggered back, a hand clasped over his aching stomach. For being so tiny, the blonde was surprisingly strong. Terra couldnt help but feel a small amount of respect for the boy grow inside of him. As helpless as the boy looked, he had some fight in him.

"Don't underestimate me," Ven scowled. "You'll regret it."

"I can see that," Terra answered, his temper having receded in the face of his shock. "I'm sorry... I let the stress get to me. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

Seeing the sincerity in Terra's eyes, Ven softened ever so slightly. "It's alright... Just next time you decide to fling someone over your shoulder, give a little warning. You scared five years of my life right out of me."

"I'll keep that in mind," Terra answered. "I'm Terra, a Keyblade Master."

"I'm Ventus, but my friends call me Ven. I suppose I should thank you for saving me," the blonde declared. Terra may be a human but he had tried to help him and, as Ven was currently human himself, he figured he wouldn't have to fear the consequences he might have faced if he had been a merman. It made him feel more secure believing that.

"It was no problem. I had actually come in search of you, truthfully," Terra admitted.

"Why?" Ven frowned.

"Your heart," Terra admitted. "It's light easily penetrated through the darkness surrounding this world. Since all traces of light had vanished from here long ago, I came to investigate. Seeing you confirms my suspicions. You're the source of the light. The question is... how did you get here?"

"I had a mishap with a witch back in my world..." Ven replied vaguely.

"The witch must have been powerful to send you out of your own world," Terra realized. There weren't many with that type of ability.

"You can say that," Ven agreed.

"Were you the only one?" Terra asked. Ven shook his head.

"No, my brothers and my friend were cast out too. I don't know where they are..." he admitted sadly.

"I'm sorry," Terra replied. "I wish there was something I could do to help."

"You were traveling between worlds when you sensed me, right? Can't you take me with you? If you were able to sense me, you might be able to sense them," Ven pleaded with Terra, hope shining in his eyes.

"You want to come with me? Are you sure you really want to do that? We've only just met," Terra pointed out, raising an eyebrow. Was the boy that desperate to find his loved ones? "There's no guarantee that I could find them. I found you because you contrasted to this world of darkness. The others may not be so easy to find."

"It doesn't matter," Ven stated. "I have to find them. I'll do _anything_."

Ven suddenly found himself pinned to a nearby wall, gazing up into the Terra's dark and hungry eyes.

"You should be careful how you use that word, Ven. People could take serious advantage of you, especially dressed as you are. You'd tempt anyone who sees you like this," Terra warned. "They would devour you in a second." He let his hands roam Ven's sides for a moment to give the younger boy an idea of what he meant.

"You won't," Ven spoke with conviction, maintaining eye contact with Terra.

"How would you know that?" Terra frowned, pulling Ven's body hard against his. "I could do whatever I want to you and you wouldn't be able to stop me."

"If you really wanted to do anything to me, you already would have. As you said, I wouldn't be able to stop you," Ven answered.

Terra released Ven then, seeing as his scare tactics didn't seem to be working. He had been trying to get the young boy to realize that he needed to be careful on who he chose to trust but he was beginning to see that his methods weren't having the desired effects.

"Just be careful, alright? Too many lights have been snuffed out by the darkness. I don't want to see the same happen to you," the brunette declared.

"Thanks for the concern, but I'll be fine. I'm used to negative attention. I've turned out alright so far," Ven reassured Terra.

The Keyblade Master frowned. He couldn't imagine such a sweet boy being on the end of any negative attention at all.

Seeing the look on Terra's face, Ven was quick to explain. "You're not the only Keybearer, you know... And we're not well-received where we're from."

Terra drew back in surprise, "You can wield the Keyblade too? Why didn't you use it against the Heartless?" he queried. He supposed he wasn't too surprised about Ven receiving negative attention for that. Most people in small worlds were wary of Keybearers. They weren't well understood, after all.

"Unfortunately, the witch didn't only send me to another world..." Ven admitted. He made the move as if to summon his Keyblade, only to remain empty-handed.

"She took your Keyblade? How is that possible?" the brunette exclaimed. He had never heard of such an incident.

"I wish I knew," Ven responded soberly, glancing at his hands in frustration. He hated feeling helpless,

"I'll take you to see Master Yen Sid. Maybe he can help you," Terra offered. "He's bound to know something."

"Thank you," Ven stated. He didn't know who Yen Sid was but any help would be good.

Terra activated his armor and opened a portal, holding a hand out for Ven to take.

"Why didn't you just open a portal when we were running from the Heartless?" Ven queried in confusion.

"I didn't just want to whisk you away from the world without getting an idea of your situation. Messing with the world order isn't something that we normally try doing. Then again, with all of the chaos being caused by the Dark Forces, not interfering has become harder," Terra explained.

"Is it really that bad?" Ven queried, ignorant of the real severity of the situation.

"The worlds are being invaded by Heartless and Nobodies and the forces of Light are being worn down on all sides. If something isn't done soon, the darkness will overwhelm us all," Terra stated, his frustration clear.

"I didn't realize it had gotten this bad," Ven mused. "My world is a little isolated..."

"Then I suppose being out here will be a big eye opener for you," Terra stated before giving Ven his cape.

"What's this for?" the blonde wondered.

"Going through the Lanes Between is dangerous without the proper armor or a Gummi ship. It may not be much but my cape should be able to offer you some protection," Terra promised.

"Thank you," Ven answered, wrapping the cape around him before snuggling into it. It was warm...

Terra quirked his lips up in amusement. The younger boy was cute in more ways than one.

KHKHKHKH

They arrived at Yen Sid's tower in a few short hours, only to find the sorcerer waiting for them.

"I expected you here hours ago, Terra. Aqua and Mickey have already came and went," Yen Sid scolded before his eyes fell on Ven, who looked mildly intimidated by him. "Who is your companion?"

"Meet Ven. He, his brothers and his friends have been forced out of their world and his Keyblade's been stolen from him. I brought him here to see if there was anything you can do for him," Terra said.

"So he's the reason for your tardiness. I can see what brought you to him. It's rare to find anyone, outside of the Princesses of Heart, with such light shining in their hearts," Yen Sid declared, looking at Ven as if he was seeing straight through him. "I'm afraid that there isn't much I can do. If his ability to summon it had been the only thing that had happened, I could have, but the Keyblade has been taken straight out of his heart. In order for him to regain his full use of the blade, it would need to be retrieved from the one who stole it in the first place before anything else."

Ven deflated. He had hoped that he could have gotten his Keyblade back then. Maybe then he would have been better equipped to go find Sora, Roxas and Ariel...

"I'm sorry," Terra apologized to Ven for having got his hopes off. "Do you know where to find this witch?"

"I don't even know where we are or if my world is still there. I don't know where to start looking..." Ven reported, balling his hands into fists. A part of him didn't even want to tell Terra where he was from. He was afraid that if he did, his true nature as a merman would be revealed and that was the last thing he needed. As long as he was seen as human, he had nothing to fear from the other humans. He didn't want to know what he could be faced with if he was exposed. He wasn't going to take that risk... not after what had happened to Cloud and Zack.

Terra put a comforting hand on Ven's shoulder. Things looked bleak but Terra didn't want to see Ven's hopes dashed. He didn't want to see that light dim. He would help the blonde as much as he could in hopes that at least one of them would have a happy ending.

"Don't worry. We've got a lot of allies. Surely, some of them will get an inkling of where your family and friend are. We'll look as hard as we can," the brunette promised.

"You'll help me?" Ven voiced his surprise.

"It's the least that I can do for a fellow Keybearer," Terra smiled, pleased when he got Ven to smile as well.

"Thank you..." the former merman stated.

"It's no trouble at all, Ven," Terra smiled. "Before we go though, it may be a good idea to get you some new clothes, some armor and a weapon that you can use for the time being."

"That sounds like a good idea," Ven agreed.

"Allow me to be of some assistance," Yen Sid reminded them of his presence. "The three Good Fairies should be able to provide you with all of your needs before your departure. Follow me."

They did as they were told and they soon came face to face with three fairies, wearing red, green, and blue.

"Hello," Terra greeted the familiar three with a smile. They had sought refuge with Yen Sid after the Enchanted Dominion had been taken over by the Heartless.

"Hello," the red-clad fairy, Flora, smiled. "How can we be of service?"

"Ven here is in need of some clothes, armor and a weapon. Do you think you could help him?" Terra wondered.

"Of course, leave it to us," the green fairy, Fauna, stated confidently.

"Let's start with the clothes," Merryweather decided as she waved her wand at the boy, granting him clothes that actually covered him at long last. The other fairies begin to argue about the color before they finally decided on a mixture of white and black.

In the end, Ven was clad in a jacket that was half black and half white, a gray shirt, and dual-toned pants. A checkered wristband with a white border adorned his left wrist and the necklace he had found at the Sunken Ship found its place around his neck. He had black and gray sneakers.

"It suits you," Terra complimented, secretely relieved to see that Ven could no longer taunt him with all of that exposed skin. It made his darkness stir a little too much...

"Thanks," Ven smiled, looking at himself in wonder. He would have to get used to the feel of clothes. It wasn't like he really needed them as a merman after all.

The armor was much easier to get as now that the fairies had chosen a color scheme, they kept with it, keeping it mostly black and gray.

The last thing Ven needed was a weapon and that proved to be the most difficult aspect of the entire process.

The weapon most suited to Ven was a Keyblade but as he couldn't currently use one he had to make do with something else. In the end, Ven settled for a kodachi. It was light enough and would suit his general fighting style best.

"Are you all set?" Terra asked after Ven got used to his new weapon.

"I would say so," Ven agreed.

"Then let's go," the blonde said eagerly, determined to reclaim all that had been taken from him.


	6. Strange Encounter

Chapter Six: Strange Encounter

"I never got to ask you... How old are you?" Ven asked Terra as they rode through the Lanes Between.

"I'm twenty-one," Terra admitted, causing Ven to gape. He knew Terra was older than him but he hadn't expected it to be by that much.

"Wow, you're only two years younger than my oldest brother!" he exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't know you were so old!"

"I still think I'm pretty young," Terra chuckled, "How old are you?"

"Sixteen," Ven admitted.

'_Shit, I've been having bad thoughts about jailbait!_' Terra cursed himself. He thought Ven was at least eighteen... "Are you the youngest?"

"No, that's Roxas, although, it's not by much..." Ven admitted. "He's only three minutes younger than me."

"You're twins?" Terra voiced his surprise. "Are you identical?"

"Yeah, though we act completely different. Roxas is a lot quieter than I am," Ven reported.

"That must be a sight to see, a quiet version of you..." Terra teased, enjoying the outraged look that crossed Ven's face.

"What does that mean?" Ven exclaimed, beating Terra's back without real malice.

"Nothing," Terra denied, amusement clear in his voice.

"You suck," Ven scowled.

"I know," Terra humored him.

"You're not taking me seriously, are you?" Ven asked sulkily.

"Of course I am," Terra said.

"No you're not," Ven pouted.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Terra replied, nudging Ven playfully to show that he really did take him seriously. Ven relaxed.

"Let's just go find everyone," the younger boy declared.

"Your wish is my command," the brunette replied as they moved away from Yen Sid's tower.

Neither of them knew just how close they were to one of Ven's brothers...

KHKHKHKH

"Do you think that he will wake up soon?" a voice permeated through Roxas' consciousness.

"Who knows? We don't even know what's wrong with him, Hayner," a female voice remarked, "I still think that we should bring him to the hospital..."

"He doesn't really look like he's hurt, though," another male voice mused. "He looks like he's simply sleeping."

"How he could have slept through crashing down from the sky beats me," the first voice stated dryly.

"How did he end up here? Do you think he's an angel? He certainly looks like one..." the female commented.

"Come on, Olette. There is no such thing as an angel. Besides, if he was an angel, where are his wings?" the first voice retorted.

"It was just a thought, Hayner," Olette replied, sounding pouty over the boy denying her beliefs so vehemently.

"A ridiculous one," Hayner snorted.

"Be nice, it was plausible. This guy _did_ fall from the sky," the other male tried to play mediator. "He was really lucky that he landed in water, otherwise he really would have got hurt."

"I can agree with that, Pence. I wonder where he's from..." Hayner wondered. "Definitely not from here."

"Maybe he's from another world?" Pence proposed.

Hayner scoffed. "You really believe all of that mumbo jumbo? There aren't other worlds out there, Pence. That's just an old wives' tale," Hayner proved to be the biggest nonbeliever.

"How else do you explain it?" Pence countered. "We've already established that he's not from Twilight Town, so where could he have come from if not another world?"

"..." Hayner remained silent, effectively stumped.

It was at that point that Roxas let it be known that he was waking up when he let out a loud groan.

As he opened his bleary eyes, he came face to face with three curious humans.

"AAAAHHH!" he screamed in shock, reeling back.

"AAAAHHH!" the three humans screamed as well, caught off guard by Roxas' over-the-top reaction to their presence.

"Dude, what's your problem?" Hayner, a blonde boy wearing a green sleeveless shirt and camouflage pants, glowered at the shaking former merman.

"Take it easy, Hayner... Can't you see that he's scared?" Olette defended Roxas, approaching him slowly with her hands up in the air to show him that she didn't mean any harm.

"Who are you?" Roxas demanded, hugging his new legs to him in a protective manner. He couldn't believe he was amongst humans... They were definitely going to send him for experimentation... Then again, why hadn't they done that already?

It was then that he processed that he was as human as they were...

'_What did Ursula do to me?_' the blonde thought to himself with a frown. He had never imagined he'd be forced into the surface world and from what he had overheard, it wasn't in his world either... He had never heard of a Twilight Town.

"I'm Olette. These are my friends Hayner and Pence. We were hanging out by the beach when we saw you fall into the water from the sky. Hayner saved you when you started to drown," the brown-haired female, wearing an orange sleeveless shirt with green capris, introduced herself and her friends. "What's your name?"

"Roxas," the blue-eyed youth spoke warily. "If you found me at the beach, how did I end up here?"

"We brought you here. We thought it would be best to get you out of the open, given the way you popped up in the first place," Pence, a slightly overweight brunette, stated. "People don't often respond well to odd occurrences."

Roxas couldn't deny that, thinking back to Cloud's story. Humans seemed awfully close-minded about things that were different than their norm.

"Well, thank you..." he said with a nod, struggling to exercise his new legs to stand up. He couldn't remain sitting forever.

He yelped as his legs gave out on him upon him first standing up and it was only because Olette and Pence rushed to support him that he didn't meet the ground in the most humiliating manner.

"Wow, you're not the most graceful of people, are you?" Hayner mused, earning a reprimanding look from Olette.

"Hush, it's not his fault. He just woke up, you know. He's bound to be a little disoriented," she declared, seeming to exude a very maternal exterior.

"Yeah, yeah," Hayner rolled his eyes. "What are you going to do now, Roxas?"

"I'm going to find my brothers," Roxas responded. "You didn't happen to see anyone pop up with me, did you?"

"I think we would have known if there had been anymore falling people, but there haven't been any," Pence said apologetically. Roxas looked downcast for a moment before quickly shaking his head. He would just have to find a way to get to them. He couldn't afford to not even try.

"Well if you're going to go look for them, I think it would be best to get you some real clothes first," the brown-eyed blonde replied and Roxas became aware that he was wearing a sheet like a toga.

"You know what this means right?" Olette asked, sounding excited,

"What?" Roxas asked obliviously, though he noted the chagrined look on Hayner and Pence's faces.

"We're going shopping!" the female exclaimed and the two human boys beside her groaned with the confirmation.

"Let's get this over with," Hayner decided, knowing it was inevitable. He grabbed Roxas by the shoulder and began to guide him out of the Usual Spot. "I suppose I should say welcome to a guy's own personal hell."

Roxas just blinked obliviously as he was more focused on supporting his own weight. He would soon see what they meant.

KHKHKHKH

"How long are we going to do this?" Roxas asked tiredly as Olette forced him to go try out yet another outfit.

"From the way Olette is going, I would say she'll be done when you have an entire wardrobe," Hayner said dryly.

"But I don't have the money for all of this," Roxas protested from behind the door of the fitting room.

"Think of this as a 'Welcome to Twilight Town' gift," Olette said brightly.

"I can't do that," Roxas stated. " I can't expect you to pay for all of this."

"Then just pick out a few of your favorite outfits," Olette said, not willing to concede everything. "You still need clothes, Roxas."

"...Fine," Roxas admitted defeat, choosing a couple that he liked and he came out of the dressing room. "I'll find a way to pay you back."

"You don't need do that," Olette said.

"I wouldn't feel right, otherwise," Roxas answered with a quirk of his lips and Olette was forced to give up on getting him to accept her full generosity. Roxas was too stubborn to just let things go.

Roxas was still wary of the humans but they had been nice to him so far and they hadn't shown any indication that they meant him any harm so far. They didn't seem like the sleazy humans Cloud had described at all. That didn't mean every human was nice though...

It was soon after they left the store that a newcomer burst in on the four teenagers' parades.

"Well, if it isn't the lamers. Who is the newbie?" a snide voice rang out and Roxas turned to see a boy with ice blue eyes and slicked back blonde hair standing nearby, flanked by one girl and one bulky boy. They were obviously his goons.

"Leave us alone, Seifer," Hayner scowled. He really hated the bully.

"I have as much right to be here as you do, lamer. Now, answer my question," Seifer ordered.

"My name's Roxas. What's it to you?" Roxas didn't like the other boy's attitude. He'd prefer it if the bastard left them alone.

"Oh, the chicken wuss has got some bite to him," Seifer smirked before turning serious. "Where are you from, Rox-ass? You're not from around here. Strangers aren't welcome in Twilight Town."

"Says who?" Roxas countered, crossing his arms.

"Says me," Seifer retorted. "I'm the leader of the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee."

"Sounds fancy, but does it really mean anything?" Roxas mused sarcastically. "Or are you just tooting your own horn?"

"Why you - !" Seifer began, looking like he was ready to lunge at the other blonde. Nobody had ever had the balls to talk back to him like that.

It was at that time that the beanie he wore suddenly caught fire and Roxas, Hayner, Olette and Pence were fortunate enough to witness Seifer dancing around in panic as his goons tried to get the flaming accessory off of their leader's head.

"Now, now, children...Can't you all just get along?" a sly voice rang out and everyone looked to see a tall, skinny man with spiky red hair and feline green eyes approaching them. He wore a long, hooded black cloak.

"Who the hell are you?" Seifer demanded to know, once he'd managed to get the beanie off.

"The name's Axel. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?" The redhead answered, tapping the side of his head in an almost condescending way. "I know it must be hard for you. You're not terribly bright, Mr. Disciplinarian."

"Mind your own business," Seifer scowled. "This has nothing to do with you!"

"I beg to differ," Axel retorted, eyes trained on Roxas in a way that made the former merman shiver. Axel felt odd to him. Every instinct he possessed screamed that he was dangerous. There was a darkness surrounding him. "The entire situation seems a little unfair to me. Blondie over there hasn't done anything to deserve you harassing him. Somebody had to step in to defend him."

Seifer just glared before stalking off. He didn't want to tempt Axel to set him on fire again.

"Thank you, but no thank you. If I needed a knight in shining armor, I would have asked. I can take care of myself," Roxas insisted. He would rather not have to feel indebted to this man. Something told him that he should steer clear of him.

"Feisty, I like that," Axel grinned. "Everybody needs help once in a while, Blondie."

"Well, I don't want yours," Roxas snapped, glowering.

"Touchy," Axel tutted. "I haven't even done anything to earn such hostility."

Roxas just looked away from him, determined not to encourage the redhead anymore. He silently willed Axel to leave him alone.

Unfortunately, Axel didn't seem to be getting the hint.

"What do you want, anyways? I sincerely doubt you're helping me purely out of the goodness of your own heart," Roxas stated sarcastically, blinking in surprise as he heard the dry, almost bitter, laugh that escaped Axel's lips.

"Trust me, this has nothing to do with my 'heart,'" Axel reassured Roxas. "I just have some questions for you."

"Then ask them," Hayner butted in for the first time. He didn't like Axel much either. He wanted the redheads to just leave them alone.

"I'm afraid I would rather talk to Roxas in private," Axel answered smoothly, eyes completely trained on the former merman.

"There's no way that we'll just leave you alone with him," Hayner protested. He had been wary of Roxas in the beginning, but the more he talked to him, the more he saw that the other blonde wasn't that bad. Axel, on the other hand...

"Thanks for the concern, Hayner, but I'll be fine. The sooner he will leave us alone," Roxas told the brown-eyed boy.

"Are you sure?" Olette asked in concern.

Roxas gave her a reassuring smile, "I'll be fine," he promised, urging them to give him and the strange man some privacy. Once they were gone, he shot a dangerous glare at Axel. "What is it that you want to know?"

"Relax, I mean you no harm. I just wanted to know... Where are you from? Your heart shines more than any other human in this world. You don't belong here," Axel declared, interest clear in his eyes, which were trained on where Roxas' heart lay with a hungry look.

Roxas backed away from Axel instinctively. It wasn't normal the way he spoke of hearts, and the way he referred to Roxas as a human like he wasn't one himself...

"What are you?" he demanded to know, not answering Axel's question.

"You're more observant that I figured," Axel smirked. "Not many people can tell that I'm something more than human. I'm a Nobody, if you must know."

"A Nobody..." Roxas repeated, a small frown on his face. He had heard of them but he had never seen one in real life. He hadn't expected Nobodies to look so human... "That would mean that you don't have a heart." Well, that would explain why Axel had been so bitter when Roxas had mentioned him having one.

"Afraid not, sweetheart. Now answer my question," Axel insisted.

"I'm a small world that's of no real consequences to the likes of you," Roxas replied vaguely.

"Someone like you from a small world? It's a wonder you haven't been discovered by anyone else. The light you exude must attract the Heartless in droves..." Axel mused.

"You have no idea..." Roxas muttered under his breath but Axel heard him anyways.

"How did you deal with them?" he wondered.

"The same way most people would. Fighting," Roxas stated simply, not sharing how. He wasn't going to tell a Nobody that he was a Keybearer...

Speaking of being a Keybearer, Roxas finally recognized the emptiness in his heart and remembered what Ursula had done in addition to turning them into humans. '_I'm virtually defenseless,_' he cursed. He was going to need to get a weapon to substitute the loss of his blades. He didn't know how long it would take for him to regain them.

"If that's all that you wanted to know, I'm leaving," Roxas stated.

"Wait, I have one last question," Axel protested.

"What is it?" Roxas asked impatiently.

"What's your name?" the Nobody queried.

"It's Roxas," the blonde replied tersely before he left before Axel could ask anything else.

Hayner, Olette and Pence were on him in a second.

"What did that jerk want to know?" Hayner queried curiously.

"Just where I'm from and what my name was. He was just being a creep," Roxas shrugged.

"He was kind of weird. How many people do you know can call on fire like that? He just snapped his fingers..." Olette mused. "He seems dangerous to me."

"I have to agree with you. Hopefully, he won't bug you again, Roxas," Pence stated.

"Who knows?" Roxas stated. He hoped this was the last he saw of Axel. The Nobody gave off dangerous vibes and the last thing Roxas needed was to be caught in his web while he went off in search of his brothers.

"So, do you have any idea on how you're going to find your brothers?" Hayner wondered.

"I don't know," Roxas admitted. "You wouldn't happen to know anybody who has knowledge of inter-world travel, would you?" He knew it was generally forbidden to speak of other worlds but he figured there was no escaping mentioning it when he was looking for a way out. His brothers mattered more to him than some stupid rules.

"So. You're really from another world?" Olette exclaimed excitedly. "I told you, Hayner!"

"Yeah, yeah," the blonde Struggle player snorted.

"Sorry, Roxas, but we don't know anybody. I'm sure we would have heard of anyone who did by now if there was anyone," Pence apologized, feeling bad for the former merman as he deflated in defeat.

"There is no need to apologize when it isn't your fault," Roxas told him. "I'll just have to find another way to find what I need..."

"We'll help you," Olette offered.

"Thanks," Roxas stated, grateful. The humans really hadn't needed to help him at all but they had. Roxas had really got lucky when he'd been found by them instead of somebody else. These humans were actually kind of likable.

He was oblivious to Axel spying on him from a distance.

"So, Roxy wants to travel to different worlds, does he? I could help with that..." the redhead smirked. Now all that he needed to do was gain the blonde's trust. He had been told to find the light-hearted world traveler that had popped up in Twilight Town. Now that he'd found him, he wasn't about to let him out of his sight.


	7. Wanting Out

Chapter Seven: Wanting Out

A nineteen-year old boy with long silver hair and aquamarine eyes stared up at the stars from his bedroom window, a dark frown plastered on his lips.

'_So many worlds out there... And I'm stuck here,_' Riku scowled. Holding out a hand, he brought forth his Keyblade. '_What's the point of having this if it won't help me get out of here?_'

He still recalled the day that the strange brunette, Terra, had come to Destiny Islands three years ago. That was the day that Riku had inherited the Keyblade. Riku had had high hopes about things changing for the better.

Nothing ever did.

Riku was beyond frustrated with the situation. He wanted out...

Looking back up at the sky, Riku shot up with a start when he noticed what looked like a shooting star careening towards the island Riku and his friends hung out at.

'_What's going on?_' he wondered, getting up. He dressed quickly and raced towards the islands, determined to investigate the situation.

KHKHKHKH

Sora was not having a good day... First, the King and Cloud had found out about Ariel's love for Eric, and then Atlantica was attacked. If that wasn't bad enough, Ursula stole their Keyblades, turned them human and flung them out of Atlantica. Now... he was _drowning_.

'_This is the last way I ever imagined dying!_' he thought as he fought to keep himself above the surface, taking large, gasping breaths. He was still too unused to his legs to be able to use them correctly and they tired way too quickly to do much good. '_Somebody help!_'

Sora thought all hope was lost as he finally began to sink under the water but fortune seemed to favor him as he felt arms wrap around his midsection and he was dragged back up to the surface.

He gasped loudly, taking in large gulps of air into his oxygen-starved lungs, coughing out the water that had managed to get in his lungs. Being in water as a human was awfully unpleasant...

"Don't worry, I've got you," a deep, soothing voice rang out and the exhausted brunette could only sag against his savior as he was slowly brought towards the shore.

He was laid gently against the sand and he took a few moments to catch his breath before he slowly opened his eyes to look at his savior. He came face to face with a green-eyed, silver-haired male. Terror consumed him instantly and he began to recoil.

"Sephiroth!" he cried out the name of the one he thought the other male was before the panic faded and he realized he had been wrong. The boy in front of him looked a few years younger than Sephiroth... and he was human.

"Who's Sephiroth?" the boy queried in confusion, cocking his head to the side.

"Just someone I would have preferred to have never met," Sora answered vaguely. "You kind of look like him, that's all. Now that I look closer, though, I would have to say you don't look _that_ similar. It was just the hair. Sorry."

"I suppose I should be thankful that I don't look like him... if he scares you as badly as it seems, I wouldn't want to be like him," the silver-haired teen answered. "Are you alright now?"

"Yes, thank you. I thought I was going to die. I'm lucky you came," Sora thanked his savior. The boy may be human but he _did_ save Sora's life. He couldn't find it in himself to be scared or distrustful right off the bat.

"I would say so," the youth agreed. "I'm Riku, by the way. What's your name?"

"It's Sora," the brunette answered.

"That's fitting," Riku smirked. "Given that you came from the sky."

"You saw that?" Sora asked in surprise, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"I'm always watching the skies," Riku admitted. "I came to investigate the shooting star I saw and I found you."

"Well then, I should be thankful that you did," Sora said. "I would have been dead without you."

"It was no problem," Riku replied. "I take it you can't swim?"

Something squirmed inside Sora, ashamed of the thought of a merman who couldn't swim. "It's just... my legs," Sora gestured to them. "They don't work very well."

Riku inspected the alarmingly skinny legs. They had no muscle tone whatsoever. It was almost like Sora had never used them before.

"I can see why," he mused. "You're not paralyzed, are you?"

Sora shook his head. "They're just really weak," Sora replied. He could definitely move them, just not for too long before they got fatigued. Plus, they still felt foreign. He wished for his tail again. He hated this lack of mobility...

"It looks like you're just in need of a lot of exercise to get those legs up to par with the rest of you," Riku commented.

"That will take a while," Sora groaned.

"That all depends on how much effort you put into it," Riku pointed out.

"True," Sora agreed. He wasn't going to slack off. If he wanted to reunite with Ven, Roxas and Ariel, he was going to need to move as well as other humans fast. "Where are we?"

"Destiny Islands," Riku responded. "It's a small world. It doesn't change much."

"You sound kind of unhappy with that fact," Sora observed.

"I've been stuck here all of my life, seeing the same things day after day. What do you think?" Riku retorted dryly.

"I felt the same way about my world," Sora admitted, feeling some kinship with the other teen. "Except my situation was more because my big brother wouldn't let us go beyond the borders of the kingdom. He was kind of overprotective, but thinking back on it now... he had his reasons. If we had only listened to him, we wouldn't be in this mess..."

"'We?'" Riku repeated, with a small frown.

"I meant my brothers, Ariel, and I," Sora elaborated. "We got on the bad side of a witch and well... here we are."

"So your brothers and this Ariel are out there somewhere?" Riku realized.

"I don't doubt it," Sora agreed. "I have to find a way to get to them."

"So it looks I'm not the only one looking for a way out of here," Riku mused.

"We've got something in common," Sora smiled.

Riku nodded. "If only I knew how to open the gates between the worlds with my Keyblade..." he groused, causing Sora to look at him, startled.

"You have a Keyblade too?" he exclaimed in surprise.

"You mean you have one?" Riku blinked.

"Yeah, or at least, I _had_ one but the witch stole it from me. I think she saw my brothers and I as threats because we kept killing her Heartless," Sora mused with a frown.

"So the Heartless are in your world too. It seems like they've reached almost every world now," Riku sighed.

"Unfortunately," Sora admitted. He slowly began to shiver and Riku became aware of how they were still soaking wet in the middle of a cold night.

"We should get you off this island and somewhere warm," he decided, getting up gingerly. He held out a hand to help Sora up.

Sora took his hand and attempted, for the first time, to stand on his two feet. With Riku's support, he managed to do so without falling, and he smiled proudly once he finally got his balance.

Riku found it kind of cute how the other boy was so pleased with such a small accomplishment. It was endearing.

"You can stay at my place if you like," Riku offered.

"Your parents won't mind?" Sora wondered.

"I live by myself, you don't need to worry," the silver-haired teen assured his blue-eyed companion.

"Thanks for all of the help. You don't need to," Sora declared.

"Don't mention it. I'm glad to help. Besides, you're the most interesting thing to happen around here in a long time," Riku winked, causing Sora grin.

"Well them, I'm glad to be of service," he said cheekily, causing Riku to laugh. He had a feeling that they would grow to be good friends if given the chance.

KHKHKHKH

Riku sighed in frustration. He hadn't expected the sweet-natured Sora to be so stubborn. "Look, I'm telling you, Sora. You can take the bed," he insisted firmly.

"I'm telling you that's not fair to you. I'm already imposing on you enough. I can't take your bed from you!" Sora protested, shaking his head.

"You're the guest and I invited you over. You aren't imposing at all. Just take the bed," Riku declared.

"I wouldn't feel right if I did. If I sleep on the bed, you'll have to sleep on the floor. That doesn't look comfortable at all," Sora argued.

"So you expect me to let you sleep on the 'uncomfortable' floor?" Riku asked with a raised eyebrow. "I would be a terrible host if I did that, so what do you propose that we do?"

"Well..." Sora began, nose crinkling as he looked thoughtful. "We could always share..."

"'Share?'" Riku repeated. "You're willing to share a bed with a complete stranger?"

"Well, I'm already at your home, aren't I?" Sora countered. "If you try anything, I could always kick your ass, Keyblade or no Keyblade... And vice versa too, if you're in need of some reassurance." Sora winked teasingly.

"Haha," Riku said dryly. "As if you would be able to try anything on me, Little Man."

"Hey, I'm not that small!" Sora protested. "I'm only a couple of inches shorter than you!"

"That's enough for me," Riku grinned, finding he enjoyed teasing Sora, especially when the brunette pouted so cutely.

"You suck," the former merman sulked as he and Riku slid into the bed. Riku just chuckled as they arranged themselves with their backs to one another.

He silently hoped that Sora would've around for a little while longer. In the short while they had been together, Riku had had more fun than he had had in a long time...

'_What would loudly if he learned that I was sharing a bed with a human?_' Sora wondered. His brother would most likely have a heart attack. '_I guess it would be best to never tell him, then..._'

KHKHKHKH

The next morning, Sora woke up to find himself face to face with a pale chest. Looking up, he saw Riku's sleeping face looming over him. He flushed brightly as he realized that sometime during the night, they had shifted to cuddle each other. How embarrassing...

Sora was too used to cuddling up with his brothers back in Atlantica on occasion. He was going to have to kill that habit for now, given that his brothers weren't with him...

"Why the long face?" Riku's sleepy voice broke through Sora's thoughts, causing him to look up in surprise.

"Oh, it's nothing really," Sora reassured Riku with a sheepish grin, getting into a sitting position. "I was just thinking about my brothers."

"You're worried about them, right? I can't exactly blame you. If the people I cared about were taken from me, I would go to the ends of the Earth trying to find them again," Riku declared.

This caused Sora to smile. He was beginning to like Riku more and more as he learned more about him.

"Those you care for are lucky to have someone like you to watch out for them," the brunette stated and Riku blushed faintly in embarrassment.

"I would just be doing what anybody would do for their friends," the silver-haired boy said bashfully.

"Not everybody," Sora countered. "That's something only a true friend would do."

Seeing as he was getting a little too flustered, Riku coughed and slowly slid out of bed.

"I guess it's time for breakfast. Is there anything you would like to eat?" he asked Sora.

Sora looked thoughtful. He wasn't at all familiar with what was a normal meal for humans. He always just ate fish or whatever else he and his brothers could find in their aquatic home.

"I don't mind whatever you want to make," he said. He was willing to try anything.

"If you say so," Riku declared with a shrug. "You can take a shower, if you'd like. You can borrow some of my clothes too, given that you don't have any of your own."

"Thanks," Sora smiled, although he didn't exactly know how to use the shower. Riku had showed him what the shower was the night before but figuring out how to turn it on and all of that... Sora could already tell that it was going to be chaotic.

He wasn't about to ask Riku how to use it, though. He had to pretend to be as human as everyone else and he figured that every human knew how to use all of these bizarre appliances.

Taking a deep breath, he headed into the bathroom to figure out how to use the accursed thing.

Riku was in the middle of making pancakes when he heard a high-pitched squeal coming from the bathroom. Dropping everything, he rushed over, just in time to be blindsided by a very wet, very naked Sora. He landed on the floor with a grunt and looked up at Sora with wide eyes, seeing as how they were in a rather compromising position.

As would be Riku's luck, that was when Kairi chose to enter his home uninvited through the front door, which gave her a direct view of what was going on.

"Am I interrupting something?" the red-haired female queried, raising an eyebrow.

Both Riku and Sora flushed in embarrassment and they quickly straightened themselves out, with Riku shielding Sora's exposed body with his own.

"This isn't what it looks like!" Riku insisted, his face still as red as a fire truck. Of all the times for Kairi to come over...

"Then would you care to explain?" Kairi pressed, raising an eyebrow. She had never seen Riku appear as anything but absolute cool-headed. This was a completely new thing for her to witness. She eyed the brunette who was hiding behind Riku. Could this be his influence?

"I think it would be best to let Sora get dressed first, don't you think?" Riku proposed and Kairi agreed. She wouldn't let the poor boy be left in such an embarrassing state for too long.

Fifteen minutes later, Kairi and the two embarrassed boys were sitting in Riku's living room.

"Well, would you two mind explaining what's going on?" Kairi queried. She wanted to know who the brunette was, how he ended up there when she had never seen him on the islands before, and how he and Riku ended up in that position.

"Kairi, meet Sora, a fellow Keybearer... from another world. A witch stole his Keyblade and cast him out of his own world. That's how he ended up here. I found him and offered him a place to stay while he is here. As for what happened, you might have to ask him. I still don't know what caused him to fly out like that," Riku glanced at Sora, who went even redder as the attention was focused all on him.

"The water was cold... It surprised me," he said, feeling utterly foolish. In truth, it was the rapid spray of water that had startled him more but he wasn't going to tell them that out of fear of looking even odder than he already did.

Riku blinked at Sora in surprise. Something as small as that had startled the boy right out of the bathroom? Despite himself, Riku found that utterly hilarious and glancing out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Kairi felt the same way.

Sora shrunk into himself as both humans began to laugh.

"I'm glad my humiliation entertains you so much," Sora sulked, playing with his hands.

"Don't be like that, Sora. You've got to admit it's pretty funny," Riku said, wiping tears of mirth away.

Sora huffed for a few more moments before grinning too. Riku was right. It was pretty funny once he got over the embarrassment.

Once they got over the hilarity of the situation, they turned serious.

"So you're another Keybearer. I've only met three others, including Riku," Kairi admitted. "I met the other two in my original world."

"So you're not from around here either?" Sora inquired, looking curious.

Kairi shook her head. "I'm from a world that was called Radiant Gardens, back in the day. When it was taken over by the Heartless, however, it gained a new name: Hollow Bastion," Kairi explained.

"I'm sorry," Sora apologized for her having lost her world.

"Don't worry about it," Kairi said. "That was years ago."

"I met another Keyblade Master myself," Riku told Sora. "A guy named Terra. He was the one who gave me the alibi to use the Keyblade in the first place."

"So you inherited the Keyblade?" Sora remarked in surprise. "My brothers and I didn't inherit our Keyblades from anyone... They just kind of popped up..."

"So you _and_ all of your brothers possess the Keyblade?" Kairi asked with wide eyes. She had never heard of such an occurrence.

"Not all of my brothers. My eldest brother, Cloud, doesn't possess one. He uses a Buster Blade instead," Sora said.

"If all of you had the Keyblade, I would have passed it off as some weird genetic inheritance but now this is just odd," Riku decided. If there had been no Keyblade Master to pass the ability on to Sora and his siblings, how had they gained the ability in the first place?

He had heard that the Keyblade chose people with the strongest hearts. What were the chances that there would be multiple Keybearers in one world, much less with all of them being related? It was a major anomaly in Riku's eyes and he was more than a little interested in figuring it all out.

"You continue to surprise me, Sora. I'm beginning to see why that witch saw the lot of you as threats. People always fear what they don't understand," the silver-haired boy commented.

"Unfortunately," Sora sighed before looking at Riku uncertainly. "You guys aren't scared of me, are you?"

"Of course not," Riku promised. "You intrigue me more than scare me. I can already see that you aren't someone who wishes harm to anyone."

Sora appeared way too innocent and gentle-hearted to be anything less than good.

"I agree," Kairi conceded. "There's nothing to fear about you."

"Thank you," Sora said. "The only ones in my world who didn't fear me were my brothers, the King and Ariel..."

"Who is Ariel?" Kairi queried.

"She was my best friend, outside of my brothers. She was the King's youngest daughter. She has red hair like you and..." Sora began to share is stories about his friends and, in return, Kairi and Riku shared their stories of life on the islands.

As time went on and they talked more, the camaraderie they started to build up would soon develop into a great friendship...


	8. Siren in Agrabah

Chapter Eight: Siren in Agrabah

In the arid city of Agrabah, the streets were, for the most part, devoid of any person. The only one walking around was a tanned boy with messy black hair, wearing a tattered purple vest and patched up white pants. His sole companion was a monkey, who wore a cap that matched the one on the boy's head.

"Ever since the Heartless arrived, this place has been like a ghost town, Abu," Aladdin remarked. The people were too scared to leave the safety of their homes and only Aladdin, and the Royal Guards, walked around, dealing with the dark pests to the best of their ability.

Aladdin had increased his efforts to neutralize the Heartless threat after he'd come into contact with the Keyblade Master, Aqua. She had told him that the forces of the Light were attempting to gather as many allies against the Darkness as they could. Aladdin had been all for helping out. If they could deal with the cause of the Heartless invasion, all of the worlds would be much safer and people would no longer have to hide in fear.

For the time being, Aladdin stayed in his own world, trying to minimize the threat to his own world before he moved onto the next when he was called for. Things had gotten a lot better ever since they had managed to thwart Jafar's attempts to take over Agrabah and kidnap Princess Jasmine, but seeing as the Heartless were still moving about, the problem hadn't been completely nullified.

Aqua had told him that in order to completely put a stop to the Heartless threat, the key to the heart of the world needed to be found, but if they were to seal it, Agrabah would be cut off from the other worlds and with the forces of Light deciding to bypass the laws that usually kept people from interfering with other worlds in an attempt to build up an adequate fighting force against the darkness, sealing Agrabah away proved tone detrimental.

With the main threat to Agrabah defeated, the world was relatively stable and so, with the permission of Princess Jasmine, as the Princess of Heart, the world had remained open so that any allies could be called upon when the time came for them.

Aladdin was broken from his thoughts when Abu started making a racket, attempting to get his attention.

"What is it?" the raven-haired boy wondered before he looked in the direction that the monkey was pointing.

Aladdin became alert when he saw a bunch of Shadows surrounding something that he couldn't see just yet. Drawing out his sword, he lunged at the creatures, aiming to get rid of them as quickly as possible. That wasn't generally a problem for him. He was quite fast and as long as the Shadows didn't sink into the ground, they didn't stand much of a chance against the orphan. He had grown used to fighting Heartless of all types. He knew how to deal with all of their unique fighting styles.

When he finally cleared away all of the Heartless, he found that they had been investigating an unconscious, pale-skinned female, clad only in what appeared to be a sloppily made white dress. She had startlingly red hair, the likes of which Aladdin - nor anyone else in Agrabah - had ever seen before. She was clearly from a different world. Her exotic features weren't native to the city at all.

"I wonder where she came from..." Aladdin pondered aloud as he lifted her up. "We should get her to the palace." Abu nodded in agreement and they headed off.

KHKHKHKH

Princess Jasmine was in her room, brushing out her long black hair when she heard a knock on her door.

"Come in," she called out and the head of the Royal Guard, Razoul, entered her room.

"Pardon me for interrupting your grooming, Princess, but there is someone here to see you," Razoul declared, although he didn't look very happy about it.

"Who?" the Princess queried curiously.

"...The street rat," the guard spat and Jasmine smiled brightly. It had been a while since she'd seen her love. He had been so busy fighting all of the Heartless.

Dropping everything, Jasmine rushed out of the room, to where she knew Aladdin would be waiting for her.

When she found him, she saw that he was standing there with another female in his arms.

"Aladdin, what's going on?" she asked him in confusion, walking over.

"I found her in the middle of the city. The Heartless were surrounding her," Aladdin reported. Jasmine grew concerned.

"They didn't get her heart, did they?" she wondered. Aladdin shook his head.

"No, thankfully. I think she got overwhelmed by the heat," he answered. "I figure, from how pale she is, that she isn't from a place that is quite as sunny as Agrabah is. How she got here, though, is something I have no idea about."

"I guess that is something we'll have to ask her," Jasmine remarked. "Let's get her to the infirmary."

KHKHKHKH

Ariel tossed and turned restlessly, her mind plagued by the memories of all that had happened. The screams of the three Strife brothers still rang through her ears.

As she finally remembered the pain they had all gone through, she woke up with an anguished cry, startling the two people who had been watching over her.

She felt arms wrap around her in attempt to soothe her out of her hysterical state.

"Shhh, you're okay now. Nobody is going to hurt you," a distinctly female voice assured her, brushing her red hair off her clammy forehead. Looking up through teary eyes, Ariel came face to face with a dark-skinned female with long black hair and almond-shaped brown eyes gazing upon her compassionately.

"W-who are you?" Ariel asked, noting the presence of the equally as dark-skinned male beside the other girl.

"I'm Jasmine, Princess of Agrabah. This is Aladdin, he was the one who found and saved you from the Heartless," the brown-eyed girl introduced herself and her companion.

"I'm Ariel, Princess of Atlantica" the former mermaid returned the courtesy, the shock finally fading away enough for her to realize that she was with humans. If her circumstances hadn't been so dire, she would have been incredibly excited, but knowing that her friends were missing and in trouble ruined the mood. Now, all she wanted to do was find them and go home to see if everyone else was okay.

"It's nice to meet you, Princess. Do you know how you got here?" Aladdin queried, although he had never heard of her kingdom. That was enough to tell him that she was from another world.

"There was this witch..." Ariel broke off, shuddering at the memory of the manic sea witch. She had been scarier in the end than any of the Heartless.

Jasmine and Aladdin could infer from her words what had happened, however.

"You poor thing," Jasmine said, stroking Ariel's hair compassionately.

"Were you the only one cast out of your world by the witch?" Aladdin inquired. Ariel shook her head.

"No, she got my friends too," she answered. "Nothing would have happened if I hadn't run off..."

"You can't blame yourself. How could you have known what the witch would do?" Jasmine protested.

"What happened?" Aladdin was curious. "Maybe talking about it will make you feel better."

"I had gotten into an argument with my father. He didn't exactly approve of the one I fell in love with..." Ariel admitted, looking down at her hands. She felt a pang through her heart at the thought of Eric. Was he okay? What happened to Atlantica?

"Oh..." Jasmine mused sympathetically. She knew how Ariel must feel. She had felt a lot like that before, when her father had been trying to marry her off to a Prince, as had been the law. She had been afraid that she would never be able to marry for love. When she fell for Aladdin, they had both feared that they wouldn't be able to be together because of the law but having seen her love for the peasant, the Sultan had done away with the law in order for her to be happy. "I'm sure if he got to understand your feelings, your father would approve in the end..."

"Maybe," Ariel conceded. She couldn't exactly tell them that the reason he disapproved of them was because they were of two different species... "But there is no way that will happen now... I don't even know if my father - or Eric - are still alive."

"I'm sorry..." the Princess of Heart stated, knowing how much Ariel must be hurting. If anything were to happen to Aladdin or her father, she wouldn't know what to do...

"You can't let yourself believe that, Princess," Aladdin said. "You don't know what happened, so you've got to believe that they're okay. I'm sure things will work out. There at many people out there fighting the Heartless, I'm sure they will save your world too."

"Do you really think so?" Ariel asked, hope shining in her voice. Aladdin nodded.

"I've met some of those fighting and I can tell you, there is no way they will give up until they've fought off all of the Darkness and help everyone get their worlds back," the orphaned hero declared optimistically. "You've got to stay positive."

Ariel couldn't help but smile nostalgically as she thought of how many times she had used those same words to cheer Sora, Ven, and Roxas up.

She would keep positive and hope that everything worked out in the end. She would do everything in her power to make sure that happened.

"I'll keep that in mind," Ariel smiled.

"That's the smile I was looking for," Aladdin said brightly. His enthusiasm caused both Ariel and Jasmine to laugh in amusement.

Aladdin's attitude was one of the reasons Jasmine loved him so much and Ariel could see it, shining in the Princess' eyes.

She silently wished she had been given the same chance they had to be together. Ariel may be human now but she was worlds apart from her love and he didn't even know she existed. What were the chances that they would get to be together_ now_?

KHKHKHKH

"Thank you, Jasmine, for taking Ariel in," Aladdin told Jasmine later, as they walked through the halls of the Palace.

"It was nothing, Aladdin. The poor girl is so far from home and so utterly heartbroken... I couldn't just ignore that," Jasmine stated.

"I hope she'll be okay," Aladdn mused. Ariel seemed like such a nice girl. It would be horrible if her grief consumed her.

"I'm sure she will be. We just need to give her something to believe in," Jasmine mused. Aladdin nodded before pausing as he heard the sound of singing. He shushed the Princess, wanting to hear more.

"_What would I give_

_To live where you are?_

_What would I pay_

_To stay here beside you?_

_What would I do to see you_

_Smiling at me?_

_Where would we walk?_

_Where would we run?_

_If we could stay all day in the sun?_

_Just you and me_

_And I could be_

_Part of your world_

_I don't know when_

_I don't know how_

_But I know something's starting right now_

_Watch and you'll see_

_Some day I'll be_

_Part of your world!_"

"Beautiful..." Jasmine breathed. Whoever was singing had a great voice. They quickly walked to investigate who was singing and they found Ariel, sitting by the fountain in the courtyard, looking up at the sky.

They weren't the only ones who had come looking. Many of the guards, and even the Sultan himself, had come to hear Ariel's singing.

When Ariel stopped looking dreamily at the sky, she finally noticed her audience and she flushed in embarrassment. She hadn't really meant to draw that much attention to herself.

"I'm sorry... Did I disturb all of you?" she asked uncertainly.

"Of course not," the exuberant Sultan declared. "We just couldn't help but stop to listen to your beautiful voice. I've never heard such wonderful singing before. You have an amazing talent, my dear."

"Thank you," Ariel replied, gazing down at her clasped hands. It had been a while since she had sang anything. Today, with her friends, family, and Eric on her mind, she couldn't quell the urge.

"You didn't tell us that you could sing, Ariel," Aladdin said as he and Jasmine approached her.

"Well, you never asked," Ariel replied cheekily, causing the two other youths to grin in amusement. At least she seemed a little more lively than before.

"You should do it more often," Jasmine mused.

"If you really like it, I guess I don't mind," the redhead said, brushing her hair behind her ears. It was the least she could do as the Princess had taken her under her wing. She was still trying to get used to being in a world so different from her own. Everybody was so different. She would love to explore...

Aladdin could recognize that desire in her eyes. He had seen that within Jasmine a lot when they had first met.

"How about Jasmine and I show you around Agrabah. I'm sure you'll like it," the raven-haired boy offered and Ariel smiled brightly.

"I would love that," she answered. It would take a while before Aladdin's message to his allies was delivered. Doing something to get her mind off all of her worry might do her a little good...


	9. Locked in a Tower

Chapter Nine: Locked in a Tower

'_I'm going to kill Sephiroth..._' Cloud decided hatefully as he gazed down at the ground, which was, unfortunately, a great distance down from where the swordsman was.

When he'd made that deal with Sephiroth, he had expected to have been sent somewhere that could have been somewhat useful in his search for the missing teenagers.

How was being stuck in a tall tower, with no door and only a window, in the middle of nowhere, useful?

All that Cloud had were the clothes Sephiroth provided him, food, his sword, and a small mirror that would allow him to remain in contact with the Cecaelian.

After pacing around on his new legs for a while, Cloud turned towards the mirror, ready to give the silver-haired male a piece of his mind.

"Sephiroth, you bastard! I asked you to help me find my brothers, not to lock me up!" the irate blonde yelled, his normally calm exterior shot to hell after having been stuck in the damned tower for the last few days.

The mirror swirled as it changed from showing Cloud's reflection to the image of his new mate.

"How else am I supposed to keep you safe, my love? The surface worlds are so dangerous. I don't want anything to happen to you," Sephiroth played innocent, sadistically enjoying Cloud's rage.

"Don't you 'my love' me, asshole! My safety isn't important! You told me you would help me get to my brothers and this is the last way that I'll be able to do it!" Cloud growled.

"You could always climb down," Sephiroth suggested nonchalantly.

Cloud swallowed nervously. There was always that, yes, but Cloud was terrified of the newly enforced laws of gravity getting the best of him. The forces of gravity had never been so strongly felt while under water, but now that he was on the surface...

Cloud had already had many a bad experience thanks to gravity during the first two days, especially when it came to walking and being able to lift his over-sized sword...

He wasn't about to try to climb down the tower, especially with his Buster Blade weighing him down even more...

Seeing Cloud's reluctance, Sephiroth smirked. "It is either that, Cloud, or you wait for someone to come save you. Which is worse in your eyes? Falling to your death or being saved by a human?"

Cloud remained silent for a few seconds.

"I hate you..." he decided.

"That will change with time," Sephiroth responded nonchalantly. "Or rather, it would be better for you if it did. You are mine, after all."

"Che," Cloud grunted, not liking to be reminded.

"While we're talking, Cloud, I figure I should fill you in on a few warnings. It won't be so easy as you think to hide your status as a merman. You're not fully human, right now. If you are submerged in water from at least the waist down, you will turn back into a merman, only reverting to your human state when you've slipped out of the water again. So be careful who you let near you while you're in the water," Sephiroth warned the former merman.

Cloud cursed. "You couldn't make things easier for me, could you?" he scowled. He had really it the short end of the stick with this deal. No matter what happened, he would be Sephiroth's mate for eternity. There wasn't even a guarantee that he would be able to find his brothers if he were ever to be exposed...

"I never said I would make it easy," Sephiroth stated, unrepentant. "I've done my part. Now it's up to you to do the rest."

Cloud just grimaced before turning the mirror face down on the drawer beside the bed. He couldn't stand the sight of the Cecaelian anymore...

"Now what do I do?" Cloud wondered as he gazed out the window again, debating on whether or not he should chance climbing down.

Feeling a shudder of fear course through him, Cloud backed away again.

It would totally figure that he had a fear of heights...

KHKHKHKH

Leon, formerly Squall, Leonhart was bored as he walked through the dense forest he had got stuck in when he'd arrived in the strange world he had entered as he'd been traveling between worlds on the Gummi ship he had commissioned Cid Highwind to make for him after King Mickey had made contact with him in hopes of gaining his help in the fight against the Heartless in more than just the casual way Leon had been dealing with them back in Traverse Town. The Keybearers were recruiting people to help them fight and Leon was assisting in those efforts. It beat being stuck in one world awaiting orders, anyways. Leon preferred taking a more active approach to things rather than staying idle.

As he roamed the forest, however, Leon was beginning to doubt that he would find anybody willing to fight against the Heartless and Nobodies...

'_I guess this is what I get for deciding to enter a new, unexplored world rather than one we actually have data about..._' Leon thought to himself. The world had flashed onto his radar about three days ago and curious over its sudden appearance, Leon had gone to investigate.

He had found himself in the middle of a medieval city but no one there had ever heard of a Heartless. At first, Leon had mused about leaving again, because if there was no Heartless, there wasn't much he could do there. If they had never seen a Heartless, he doubted there would be many who could fight them and as he wasn't a Keybearer, it wasn't like he could find the Keyhole of the world to seal it off so that the Heartless couldn't eventually arrive there.

In the end, he figured he should at least explore the area so that he had something to report to his allies in the end, so that maybe, one day, one of the Keybearers could seal the world off.

That was how he had ended up in the forest, where he had ended up getting horribly lost.

'_I should have just left when I had the chance,_' Leon groused as he walked. He would have to find a way back to the kingdom if he wanted to get back to the Gummi ship.

He finally saw an opening out of the forest and he prayed he would find somebody who could help him find his way back to the kingdom... either that or a potential ally. Leon would hate it if he found out that he had completely wasted his time coming to the new world...

He found himself in a large, open field, with an out-of-place tower set up in the center.

Leon approached it curiously. He had heard the stories back in the kingdom, of how the recently returned Princess had once been kept in a tower with no exit for most of her life. '_So this is that tower..._' he mused quirking his lips in amusement. The tower really was perfect for locking a Princess away.

He couldn't help but chuckle out loud before he suddenly faltered as he heard a voice call out.

"Who's there?"

Leon was more than a little surprised. He had thought the tower was abandoned after the Princess had escaped... Who had got locked away here now? Another Princess?

He remained silent for a few moments, which was enough time for the one who spoke up to get impatient and stick their head out to glower down at Leon.

The brunette blinked in surprise when he came face to face with a male with spiky blonde hair and the bluest eyes the Gunblader had ever seen before. "Well... You're certainly beautiful enough to be a Princess," he voiced his opinion, mirth shining in his eyes.

The pretty blonde flushed in both embarrassment and anger before ducking back inside. Leon heard the other man furiously searching for something, growing curious as to what the blonde was doing.

He regretted standing put like an idiot when his face got acquainted with a frying pan.

"OW!" he exclaimed, stumbling back, cradling his face in his hands. That hurt like a bitch...

Once the pain finally receded, Leon glared up at the smug looking blonde. "Okay, okay... I'm sorry I called you a Princess but did you really have to throw a frying pan at me?" he complained.

"It was either that or this," the blonde responded before he displayed his Buster Blade, causing Leon to pale. The blonde was dangerous...

"That's alright. The frying pan was fine," he decided, causing the blonde to smirk smugly once more.

"Who the hell are you, anyways?" the blonde demanded once his amusement at Leon's pain faded away.

"Leon," the Gunblader replied. "And you?"

"None of your business," the trapped male answered tersely, causing Leon's eyebrow to twitch.

"It's common courtesy to give your name when someone else introduces themselves to you," he pointed out.

"Does it look like I care?" the blue-eyed male shot back.

Leon figured the other's brazen attitude was partly due to the fact that he believed he was well out of Leon's hitting range. The former resident of Radiant Gardens was just going to have to change that... Leon wasn't going to take this one-sided torment sitting down.

"What are you doing?" the blonde squawked in alarm as he witnessed Leon slowly start climbing up the tower.

"What does it look like?" Leon retorted, eyes trained solely on the blonde's.

He silently wondered about the fear that began to seep into the feisty blonde's eyes as he steadily got closer. Surely he wasn't that frightening?

KHKHKHKH

Cloud backed away from the window. He had been fine messing with the human when there had been a distance between him but now that the distance was closing... He couldn't help but feel fear, especially with the image of Zack dissolving into sea foam burned into the back of his mind. His last encounter with humans had been horrible. He didn't want to have another.

He stumbled back more as Leon finally entered the tower, yelping as he fell back onto the bed.

Leon raised an eyebrow as he straightened up, gazing upon Cloud's sprawled form. "You're not all that great on your feet, are you?" he mused, having caught Cloud's final clumsy movements.

"Shut up," Cloud scowled, pushing himself up into a sitting position. "Stay away."

"I'm not going to hurt you," Leon said, though he technically did have a right to, given the frying pan incident... "I just want some answers."

"Why should I tell you anything?" Cloud asked sourly as he scooted away from the human.

"Because I can help you get out of here," Leon said, causing Cloud to falter ever so slightly.

"What makes I think I need help?" the blonde argued, jutting his chin out stubbornly. Leon smirked in amusement. The trapped blonde was rather entertaining...

"You look pretty able-bodied. Something tells me that if you had been able to get down by yourself, you would have," Leon pointed out. Cloud reddened in embarrassment as the truth of the matter came out.

"I'mafraidofheights," he muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Leon queried. He had, of course, already understood what the blonde was trying to say but he wanted to make him say it for real.

"I said I'm afraid of heights!" Cloud exclaimed, looking away from Leon.

"I figured as much," Leon said, causing Cloud to glower at him hatefully for having made him voice the source of his humiliation. "I can help you out of here if you only answer my questions."

"Fine..." the former merman conceded. His desire to get out of the tower was currently more dominant than his dislike of humans. This one, while annoying, didn't seem to want to cause him any harm. Besides, with legs now, Cloud would be more able to fight him on land than he had been the last time he had faced humans. "What do you want to know?"

"Your name, to start with," Leon stated.

"It's Cloud," the blonde replied.

"How cute..." Leon voiced his amusement. Cloud hated how much he was blushing in such a short while. How could this one man fluster him so?

"Shut up," Cloud snapped. "Next question."

"How did you get stuck up here?" Leon wondered.

"I woke up here," Cloud simply said. "I don't know how or why. Somebody's got a horrible sense of humor, I guess..."

"You don't remember anything else?" Leon frowned.

"Just the Heartless taking over my home and my brothers being taken away," Cloud responded, not going int the full details. He wasn't about to admit that he made a deal with the devil.

"The Heartless," Leon repeated. "There isn't any Heartless in this world, meaning that you're from another world. Where are you from?"

"Ask me something else," Cloud said, making it clear he wasn't going to answer that. Leon respected Cloud's wish. It looked like a touchy subject.

"You mentioned your brothers being taken away. Do you know where they are?" the Gunblader wondered.

"If I did, I wouldn't be here," Cloud shot back. "I just know they're out there, somewhere..."

"How do you expect to go about finding them? Going between worlds isn't easy," Leon said, crossing his arms.

"I don't know. I'll find a way," Cloud responded, looking frustrated.

"You didn't plan this out very well, did you?" Leon realized.

"Don't you think I know that?" Cloud growled. He'd been at his most desperate when he'd made that deal with Sephiroth. "All that had mattered to me then was finding a way to get to my brothers. They're all I have left..."

Leon felt sympathy for Cloud. While he had no siblings, he knew what it was like to give his all in an attempt to keep his precious person safe... He had failed, but he didn't want to see anyone go through the type of heartbreak he'd gone through when Rinoa had been lost to the darkness.

"I can help you," Leon said, causing Cloud to look at him in surprise.

"How do you expect to do that? And why?" the blonde frowned.

"I have a Gummi ship. You're not the only one not from this world," Leon said. "As for why, I know what it's like to lose someone precious. The difference is, that you still have a chance to save yours. I'd like to help you succeed where I failed."

Cloud gazed upon Leon in surprise. He had always believed that humans were selfish beings who looked out only for themselves but here was one saying that he wanted to help him because he sympathized and could understand his feelings. That had been the last thing Cloud had expected.

"What do you expect to get out of this?" he asked suspiciously.

"Closure," was Leon's resolute response. He knew it was a risk even for him, inviting a complete stranger to accompany him on his journey but something about Cloud called out to him...

Cloud gave Leon a wary look but he didn't see anything to counteract Leon's declaration.

"Fine, I'll accept your offer," Cloud agreed, not being able to believe what he was doing. He had never imagined that he would work alongside a human but when it was his brothers at stake, he would do anything. "You better not try anything."

"I won't," Leon promised. He didn't mention that he could see why people would try to take advantage of the blonde. Cloud was almost obscenely beautiful...

"Hey, my eyes are up here," Cloud called out as he witnessed Leon's eyes rake over him approvingly. Leon's head immediately shot up. He flushed in embarrassment as he saw the unimpressed look on Cloud's face.

"My apologies," he stated, running a hand through his hair. He was looking away, so he didn't notice the appraising look Cloud gave him.

Leon wasn't bad-looking for a human. He was tall with obvious muscle but nothing too excessive with sharp gray-blue eyes, and a scar across his face that didn't deter from his attractiveness at all.

Cloud quickly caught himself. No matter how handsome Leon may be, he was also human, and that was bad enough. Not only that but Cloud had a mate now, and no matter how much he didn't want him, Cloud intended to stay faithful, for his brothers. He wouldn't let himself stray due to temptation.

"Is something wrong?" Leon queried, noticing the bitter look on Cloud's face.

"It's nothing," Cloud answered. "So how do you propose to get me out of here?"

"Well, I figure that I could get the Gummi ship and bring it here, that way you wouldn't have to climb down. All that you would have to do is get into the ship. It might take a little bit but at least you'll be out without having to tackle your fear of heights, right?" Leon proposed.

Cloud's eyebrows furrowed together as he considered the idea. It was better than nothing and definitely better than having to climb down himself with his blade and that damned mirror. As much as he didn't like Sephiroth, he didn't think it would be a good idea to completely cut himself off from any contact with the Cecaelian, there could be consequences for that...

"It'll have to do," Cloud decided before giving Leon a warning glare. "You better not leave me here though. If you do, I'll find a way down and then hunt you down."

Somehow, Leon could believe that. He smirked. "I'll keep that in mind," he said before he started to make his way down to the ground again. "I should be back within a few hours."

With that, he slipped back into the forest.

Seeing the magic mirror glowing, Cloud quickly turned it around to see an unhappy Sephiroth looking back at him.

"I don't like that man," the Cecaelian declared. Cloud rolled his eyes. He could tell why.

"He's not going to steal me away. I'm yours already, so there's no need to be so possessive. You told me to get help out of here if I needed it and that's what I'm doing," the blonde retorted.

"Don't talk back to me, Cloud," Sephiroth warned. "You won't like the consequences."

"I'm not," Cloud answered. "You promised me that by becoming your mate, you would allow me to find my brothers. Now I've found a way, so I'm going to use it. I'm not going to ignore it just because of your jealousy."

"...Fine," Sephiroth groused. "Don't forget you belong to me."

"How can I?," Cloud replied.

"Good," the Cecaelian scowled before his image faded away.

"Overbearing bastard," Cloud spat, growing tempted to just destroy the mirror. He didn't like having to take grief from his unwanted mate for everything that he did. Just thinking of having to spend the rest of his days as Sephiroth's mate sent shivers of disgust running down his back.

'_It's for Sora,Ven, and Roxas..._' Cloud told himself again, something that had become his mantra these last few days. It was his only consolation.

KHKHKHKH

A few hours later, as promised, Leon arrive at the tower once more, with his Gummi ship. He flew up to the window and opened the doorway for Cloud to climb in.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Princess," the Gunblader said teasingly. Cloud glowered.

"Call me that again and I will kill you once this is all over," the blonde promised.

"Why not now?" Leon raised an eyebrow.

"Unfortunately, I still have use of you," Cloud grumbled as he gingerly stepped into the Gummi ship after placing his sword inside safely alongside the mirror. Incidentally, as he stepped in, the ship lurched for a moment and Cloud lost his balance, ending up falling into Leon's lap with a grunt.

"If you wanted to get close to me, all you had to do was ask," Leon teased, enjoying drawing out whatever emotions he could out of his feisty new companion.

"Shut up," Cloud snapped, red dusting his cheeks as he quickly slipped into another seat. He didn't meet Leon's eyes.

Leon just smirked. It wasn't generally in his nature to tease people or even invite company but he found with Cloud, he could make an exception.

Neither of them noticed the angry Cecaelian spying on them from the mirror.


	10. Getting Backup

Chapter Ten: Getting Backup

"So where are you from?" Ven asked Terra after they had been traveling through the Lanes Between for a long while. The silence had started growing awkward.

"A world known as The Land of Departure," Terra explained. "It's gone now."

"I'm sorry," Ven apologized. So they both knew the pain of losing their world.

"Don't be." Terra replied. '_It's all my fault..._'

Ven shot Terra a concerned look. He could tell that there was something bothering the human but he didn't feel that he had any right to pry. They didn't know each other that well...

When thinking on how he had so readily taken to traveling with a complete stranger, Ven could understand what Terra had been trying to warn him about. He didn't know anything about Terra and Terra didn't know anything about him. It was a dangerous gamble but Ven had faith in his decision. Terra may be a complete mystery to him but Ven could see that the other boy had a good heart. It may be clouded by anger and guilt, but he knew Terra was a good man. That's all that mattered to him.

"I'm sorry if I brought up any bad memories," Ven apologized as he saw how tense Terra still was after he had answered that question. It was clear that he was wallowing in thoughts of the past.

"It's alright, Ven. You couldn't have known," the brunette answered.

"So where are we off to now?" Ven changed the subject, hoping to distract Terra from his dark thoughts.

"Disney Castle. I have some allies there that we can call on to help us," Terra reported. They had better chances of finding Ven's loved ones if there were more of them searching.

"What's Disney Castle like?" Ven queried. He was curious about all of the different worlds. He had never imagined he would ever get to see any other world outside of Atlantica.

"It's beautiful," Terra admitted. "It's one of the very few places that remains untouched by the Heartless. They have the Cornerstone of Light that keeps their world untouched by the forces of darkness."

"If only other worlds were so lucky," Ven sighed sadly, thinking of Atlantica. If they had something like the Cornerstone of Light, Ursula may have never succeeded in invading. Then again, if there had been no darkness present in the world, would Ven and his brothers have ever gained their Keyblades?

'_Is that really a bad thing?_' Ven mused to himself, thinking back to the harsh treatment he and his brothers constantly suffered from at the hands of the other merfolk. Taking one arm from Terra's waist, Ven made the instinctive move to summon his Keyblade, sighing as it, once again, failed to come to him.

"What's wrong?" Terra queried.

"It's nothing, really," Ven denied, eyes still trained on his empty hand which was still contorted as if to hold the Keyblade.

"Ven, tell me," Terra insisted. "If something is bothering you, I'll try to do what I can to help."

"I was just thinking about why the Keyblade chose me. Was it a mistake?" Ven admitted.

"I don't know why you were chosen, Ven, but I don't believe it chose wrong. Your heart is a clear indication of that. If what you told me of the reception you've had back home the fact that the light within you still shines so brightly gives me an idea of your true strength. The Keyblade picked you for a reason. I know it must have been hard for you dealing with all of the hardships that come with bearing the Keyblade, but don't start losing hope now," Terra declared. He didn't want Ven's light to die.

"I'll try not to," Ven said. He had to believe that things had worked the way they had for a reason. As Ariel had always said, he was going to stay positive. He was beginning to sound like Roxas.

A wave of sadness passed through him at the thought of his twin brother. This had been the longest they had ever been separated. Ven was more than a little worried about him. What if the darkness had found him? Roxas could usually take care of himself, being the most vicious of the three Keybearers but without his Keyblades, how would he fare?

"We'll find them, Ven," Terra easily assessed what Ven was thinking about. "Just have a little faith."

Ven nodded. For now, that was all that he could do until they got a lead.

'_I wonder if this is how Cloud feels every time we get ourselves into trouble,_' Ven mused before he started feeling guilt all of this time he had been fretting about Sora, Roxas and Ariel. He hadn't given much thought to their eldest brother. The last time he had seen Cloud was back in Atlantica, and to his knowledge, that was where the eldest blonde had remained. Had he fallen with everyone else in Atlantica?

As the true severity of the situation and the true nature of Ven's loss finally caught up to him, all that the blonde could do was rest his head against Terra's back, glad for the helmet that masked his face. He didn't want anyone to see his tears.

Terra turned his head to look at the grieving blonde, silently wishing that he could do more to comfort the boy but knew that as long as they were traveling through the Lanes Between, he couldn't afford to let himself be distracted too much. He would address the situation once they arrived at Disney Castle.

KHKHKHKH

In the depths of Disney Castle, two Keyblade Masters were conversing over what would be the best course of action in the fight against the darkness, when a duck in sorcerer's clothing rushed into the office.

"Your Majesty, pardon the interruption, but Master Terra has come to see you. He's brought somebody else with him," Donald, the Royal Mage, declared, bowing to King Mickey and Aqua.

"Terra always travels alone," Aqua mused. She had once suggested they travel together but Terra had denied her. He said he was better off working alone. She felt that he was punishing himself for nearly falling to the darkness by embracing solitude. So hearing that he chose to have any company whatsoever, seemed odd to her.

"He says that he needed your help," Donald stated.

"We better go see. Terra never asks for help," Mickey responded as he and Aqua both left the office to go meet Terra.

When they arrived in the gardens, they found Terra talking quietly to a down-trodden young blonde whose cheeks were stained with dry tears.

"I'm sure your family and friend are okay, Ven. If they're anything like you, then there is no way that they've fallen to the darkness. We'll find them. I already promised you, didn't I?" Terra said, placing a comforting hand on the diminutive boy's shoulders.

"But what if they have?" Ven asked tearfully.

"Then we'll just have to save them from it, now won't we?" Terra stated. He really had no idea how they could possibly do that but he would try anything to cheer Ven up. He didn't like the sight of the boy so upset. The blonde was better off with a smile on his face.

"Do you really think we could do that?" Ven wondered, eyes shining with hope.

"I don't know," Terra admitted. "But we can try."

Ven nodded, feeling a little better. He couldn't give up on everyone before he had the chance to find them or at least learn what happened to them. They wouldn't give up on him.

They turned when they heard footsteps approaching to see a mouse, duck and a beautiful blue-haired woman walking up to them. A tall, humanoid dog was quick to join the group.

"It's good to see you again, King Mickey, Aqua, Goofy, Donald," Terra greeted them all with a polite bow. "I'm sorry I missed the meeting earlier. I got a little... sidetracked." His eyes trailed over to his unfamiliar companion, giving the group a good idea of what had led him astray. Ven looked a little sheepish.

"It's alright, Terra. We all know that you would never miss any meeting unless something important came up. Would you mind introducing your young friend?" Mickey inquired.

"Ven, meet King Mickey, a Keyblade Master and the king of Disney Town. Next to him is Aqua, my childhood friend and another Keyblade Master. The duck and dog over there are Donald and Goofy. They are the Royal Mage and Head of the Royal Knights, respectively. Everyone, meet Ven. I found him in the Enchanted Dominion," Terra dished out the introductions.

"The Enchanted Dominion?" Aqua repeated with a frown. "That world has been fallen for years. How could you have found him there?"

"A witch sent him there from his original world. I don't know all of the details but I know it has something to do with his Keyblade since she wrested control of it away from him," the brunette declared seriously. This made everyone alarmed. The thought of none being able to steal a Keyblade from its rightful owner was no laughing matter. They had never heard of such a case before.

"So I take it you need our help finding the one who stole the Keyblade?" Aqua asked curiously.

"That's part of it," Terra admitted. "Ven wasn't the only one sent away by the witch. His brothers and one of his friends were cast away as well. I promised to help him find them but I can't do it alone."

"We'll try our best," Mickey promised. He felt for the young blonde. Seeing how much the situation seemed to be weighing on Ven, the King didn't have the heart to refuse. "Could you describe your family and friend to us? Anything you can give us could be helpful."

"Well, there's Sora, my older brother. He has really spiky brown hair and blue eyes just like mine. He'll most likely be wearing a necklace with a crown pendant on it," Ven started out. "Then there's Roxas. He should be relatively easy to recognize. He looks like me except he'll have a necklace with a X-shaped pendant. Lastly, there's Ariel. She isn't related to us so she won't look like me like Sora and Roxas do, but she also has blue eyes. She also has bright red hair and she has a really beautiful voice. I'm not sure if that's helpful but it may help you out a little."

"Wait a minute, a red-haired woman cast out from her world?" Aqua repeated, frowning in consideration. "I recently got a report from Aladdin of Agrabah that they found a girl with that kind of description just a couple of days ago."

"Really?!" Ven exclaimed, eyes glowing in excitement. He couldn't believe that they had a lead already. It gave him hope for finding the others.

"I was just going to go investigate the matter," Aqua admitted. "I've already let Aladdin know of my impending arrival."

"Then Ariel will be safe," Ven breathed in relief. Knowing that at least one of his missing companions being safe gave him hope for the others. Maybe all was not as lost as he thou get it was.

"I told you there was nothing to worry about," Terra smiled warmly. Ven nodded happily. Now all he had to do was find Sora and Roxas, wherever they may be.

"Donald and Goofy, you two will go off in the Gummi ship and search for Sora and Roxas as well. I'll be using the Star Shard. The more people we have to seek out Ven's brothers, the better," Mickey reported. He had a feeling there was a lot more to the situation than a bunch of missing teenagers. They had been cast out for a reason. The Darkness witnessed them as a threat and Mickey wanted to know why.

"Thank you," Ven smiled, grateful for all of the help. Finding everyone amongst all of the many worlds was bound to be difficult but as long as they remained vigilant and had help, Ven had a strong belief that they would all be together again.

"Donald, Goofy, I have a recommendation for you. Head for Destiny Islands. There's a Keybearer there... one of my making. He may be willing to help us out as well," Terra suggested. He knew how much Riku wanted to get off the island. This may just be his chance.

"That sounds like a plan," Goofy agreed. It looked like all of the networking everybody was doing with the other worlds was finally paying off.

With everything set up, the group split up with one goal in mind: find the castaways and reunite them. After they succeeded with that, they could finally get some answers.

KHKHKHKH

"Are you feeling better now, Ven?" Terra asked as they went through the Lanes Between.

"Yes, sorry for worrying you," Ven apologized.

"It's okay to cry once in a while," Terra stated. "But don't lose hope, okay? You look best with a smile on your face."

Ven was glad for the helmet hiding his face as he couldn't help but blush at the older boy's kind words.

"Thank you," he spoke shyly. "So, I've been meaning to ask. We were going through the Lanes Between for an awfully long time before arriving at Disney Castle. Did it really take that long just to get there?"

"No. I took the long route," Terra stated. "I wanted to take a look at the other two dead worlds that used to house the Princesses of Heart. Since I found you in one, I had hoped we could find the others in those worlds, but all I could sense coming from them was Darkness. There is no new life exuding out of it."

"Oh..." Ven voiced his disappointment. So much for that lead. "Where are we going now?"

"Traverse Town," Terra said. "Many people who have fallen from their worlds end up there. We may find some luck there."

"I hope so," Ven said brightly.

The comfortable atmosphere between the two of them was shot when a newcomer invaded their space: a boy wearing black and red armor.

"Vanitas!" Terra spat angrily.

"Long time no see, Terra. Who's your new friend?" Vanitas drawled, floating nonchalantly in front of them, blocking their path.

"That's none of your business," Terra retorted, wanting to protect Ven from catching the dark Keybearer's attention. He wouldn't let the bastard take _his_ Light.

"Touchy," Vanitas tutted. "Don't tell me that you're still upset with me? Come on, we're practically brothers. After all, we're both favored by Master Xehanort."

"I don't want anything to do with either of you," Terra insisted. "Now leave before I decided to rip you apart, limb from limb."

"Your temper has gotten worse over the years and with it, your darkness. You may try to ignore it but it's there," Vanitas mused. Before Xehanort had lost his heart, he had expressed his will that Terra be brought back into the darkness, Vanitas aimed to make that a reality. Now, split into a Heartless and a Nobody, Xehanort was serving to be a double threat and he was striving to deal the largest blow against the Light. In order to do that, he needed all pawns in place...

"Shut up!" Terra snapped, his voice gaining a feral quality to it. He didn't notice how Ven flinched at it.

Ven didn't want to be here. He felt like he was getting caught in something he had no purpose being in. Everything about this Vanitas screamed dangerous and Ven didn't want to catch his attention. Not to mention, Terra's rage completely terrified of him. He knew how strong the older boy was and he really didn't want to witness it again when the Keyblade Master was in such an unstable mood.

"You can't deny it," Vanitas insisted. "You can feel the darkness bubbling underneath the surface, can't you? It calls out to you."

"It doesn't," Terra denied but his voice wavered. He surreptitiously glanced at Ven. He had been feeling the darkness more recently... Especially around the blonde. His light was addictive... and Terra wanted it.

Vanitas caught the subtle action and the smug air around him only grew more. So the diminutive boy with Terra was the cause of Terra's recently growing darkness. How intriguing...

Suddenly blitzing forward, Vanitas grabbed Ven before Terra could do anything.

"Let me go!" Ven protested the treatment, trying to push himself away from the dark stranger. Unfortunately with his arms pinned to the side Ven couldn't do anything. His legs weren't nearly strong enough yet to cause any damage if he tried to attack with them. With their helmets on, he couldn't even effectively headbutt his assailant either.

"No can do, small fry," Vanitas answered. "Now let's get a good look at you."

"No, wait!" Terra protested as Vanitas deactivated Ven's armor, leaving Ven in his basic clothing instead, leaving him vulnerable to the darkness within the Lanes Between. However, a surprising incident occurred as Ven began to glow with light, providing a barrier between him and the darkness surrounding him.

"Beautiful..." Vanitas breathed in awe. Neither Ven nor Terra knew if the dark armored boy was referring to Ven himself or his light. "I can see why Terra keeps you so close."

"Let him go, Vanitas. He's got nothing to do with this!" Terra exclaimed. The dark part of him was snarling viciously. Who was Vanitas to glance at what was his so covetously?

"I think he's got a lot to do with this," Vanitas countered, tightening his hold on the former merman. Ven could only wince and squirm more. "His light is greater than what most humans could ever hope to possess. You most likely hoped that by being near his light, you could push your darkness away completely, didn't you? It's having the opposite effect, though, am I right? He makes your darkness grow. You crave his light more than anything. If he stays with you, he will only end up devoured in the end. Surely, you know that."

"I would never hurt Ven," Terra insisted, horrified at the thought.

"But you don't deny your feelings towards him," Vanitas smirked. "Face it, Terra. He's better off without you. I'd be more than willing to take him off your hands..."

At that point, Ven had managed to get an arm free from Vanitas' hold and he used that moment to punch his captor as hard as he could, succeeding in breaking his mask.

Vanitas let out a cry of pain, staggering back, giving Terra the opening he needed to take Ven back, activating the blonde's armor once more.

"You bitch," Vanitas growled, glaring at Ven. "You'll pay for that."

Ven barely registered the threat. He was too busy marveling over how much Vanitas resembled Sora. Now that he thought about it, he sounded a lot like Sora too... The main difference was that Vanitas had black hair and gold eyes instead of brown hair and blue eyes. It was eerie...

"If you even dare try to lay a finger on Ven again..." Terra growled, letting Vanitas make his own conclusions about what Terra would do to him if he were to act out again.

Vanitas knew that if he pushed Terra's buttons any further, it would be dangerous for his own health, he decided to be smart and retreat. His eyes fell on Ven.

"I hope we meet again, Ven. Try not to get devoured before that, okay? I've still got to pay you back for that punch..." Vanitas sneered, wiping a trace of blood from his lip before he faded into the darkness.

"Are you okay, Ven?" Terra asked urgently.

"I'm fine," Ven answered,sounding a little shaken. "Who the hell was that?"

"Vanitas...he's an enemy, as you can obviously see. He's the protégé of the man who destroyed my world," Terra admitted.

"Oh..." Ven murmured, eyes downcast. No wonder Terra had been so angry.

"About what Vanitas said about me..." Terra began, so undoing uncertain. Ven was quick to brush it off.

"Don't worry about it,Terra. I don't believe anything that he said. He was only trying to build distrust between us, right? I'm not going to change my opinion of you just because one guy made some outrageous claims about you. I know you have darkness in you but I believe that you're stronger than either you or Vanitas believe. You won't let it get the best of you," Ven insisted, making Terra look at him with surprise.

"How can you be so sure? You don't even know me all that well," Terra remarked, puzzled.

"I can feel it in my heart," Ven declared with a smile. "You went so much out of your way to help a complete stranger with his attempt to reunite with his family. That, more than anything, tells me that you're a good man. You could have abandoned me at any timeout you've stuck by me this long and have helped keep me from losing hope. I don't care if you have darkness within you. Everybody has it. It's what part of you that you chose to listen to more that makes all of the difference."

Terra stared at Ven, an unreadable look on his face. He didn't really know what to feel. No one had ever told him that before. Aqua and Master Eraqus had always tried to burn it into his mind that the darkness was evil and that he should try to stifle his completely. On the other side, he'd had Master Xehanort trying to show him the true value of embracing the darkness. Now here was Ven saying that it was okay to have his darkness and that he didn't need to choose one side completely as long as he knew which path he truly wanted to follow?

The lack of judgment on Ven's part was refreshing and Terra couldn't help but like the blonde even more at his acceptance.

"Thank you, Ven. I appreciate your faith," Terra smiled. His resolve to keep his darkness under control was even stronger now and he would do everything in his power to ensure that Ven would never get caught in the crossfire if his darkness did get the better of him. He shuddered at the thought of what would happen if his darkness did overwhelm him. He had a feeling that if it did, Ven would be the primary target...


	11. A Bitter Truth

Chapter Eleven: A Bitter Truth

Roxas sighed sadly as he sat in a corner of the Usual Spot, waiting for Hayner, Pence and Olette to arrive. He had been in Twilight Town for a few days now and he still had no idea if there would be any way out of the world.

With so few leads to go on, Roxas wondered just how long it would take him to find everyone again. He missed all of them. He could really use some of Sora's optimism right now, or even Ariel's unconditional affection. He missed Cloud's silent support and he felt the absence of his twin the most. They had never been separated from each other this long and Roxas' morale was beginning to decline.

Hayner, Pence and Olette were doing their best to help him out and he appreciated it but the lack of certainty he felt about any chances he may have of leaving this world constantly dragged on him. What if he was never able to leave? What if he never saw his brothers or Ariel ever again? He didn't think he could live with that.

He was broken from his pessimistic thoughts when his new human friends finally joined him.

"Are you okay, Roxas? You look upset," Olette inquired, looking concerned. She hated seeing the blonde newcomer look so depressed. She wished there was more that they could do for him but their hands were tied. They knew nothing about travel between worlds.

"I'm fine, I'm just thinking too much," Roxas admitted. Ven always told him he did too much of that.

"Then stop thinking," Hayner said bluntly and Roxas gave him a dry look.

"It's not that easy," the former merman retorted, having grown used to Hayner's abrasive nature.

"Then we'll just have to distract you," Pence insisted. "I bet you haven't heard about the Seven Wonders of Twilight Town, right?"

"I can't say I have," Roxas agreed. How could he have when he had only been there for a few days? "What are they?"

"Well, there have been rumors going around that there are some strange phenomena that have been witnessed all around Twilight Town. I've been meaning to investigate them but I never really found the time. Now seems like as good a time as any to check them out. What do you say?" Pence explained.

"Sounds interesting," Roxas commented, amused by the interest Pence was displaying at the thought of these 'Wonders'.

"You're going to humor him?" Hayner groaned. He always got annoyed when Pence talked about his current obsession...

"Why not? It would help pass the time, wouldn't it?" Roxas shrugged. He would take anything to get his mind off his depressing thoughts for the moment. Besides... maybe one of these phenomena would give him a clue about how to get between the worlds.

"I say let's go for it," Olette said supportively and Hayner sighed. It looked like there was no turning back now.

KHKHKHKH

Thirty minutes later, the four teenagers found themselves investigating the first of Pence's Seven Wonders: the Spooky Steps.

"So what's the deal with them?" Hayner asked Pence sulkily.

"According to Rai, the number of stairs changes each time you count it," the black-haired male reported.

"Are you sure he didn't miscount?" Hayner voiced his suspicions.

"There is only one way to find out," Pence replied and they each took a turn counting the steps.

"We all counted the same number of steps," Olette remarked, once they had all compared their findings.

"That means this 'Wonder' is a hoax," Hayner snorted, not sounding surprised. "What do you expect when Rai is involved?"

"I guess we should have expected that," Pence sighed in defeat before brightening again. "Let's go to the next one!"

"Which one are we going to check out now?" Roxas wondered.

"The Animated Bag. They say that a sack actually moves on its own on Sunset Hill," Pence said, looking fascinated.

"That sounds more fun than the Spooky Steps," Olette commented. "Let's go."

"Is that the sack in question?" Roxas queried once they arrived atop Sunset Hill, pointing at their target.

"That's right," Pence agreed.

"It seems perfectly ordinary to me," Hayner scoffed, wanting to get done with their investigations as fast as possible. He could do better things with his time.

Right as he said that, the sack began to hop around. Looking excited to discover the truth behind this wonder, Pence was quick to leap onto the sack, hanging on until the sack slowly ceased to move, providing a most amusing sight to his companions.

Slowly, they noticed something sneaking out from underneath the sack... a dog.

"I told you it was a hoax," Hayner spoke triumphantly as Pence got up, disappointed. None of them noticed when the retreating dog transformed into a sleek silvery white creature, a Dusk.

"So much for that," Pence sighed.

"We've covered two, that means we have five left. What are they, Pence?" Olette queried.

"We have the Friend From Beyond the Wall, the Doppelgänger, the Moans From the Tunnel, the Ghost Train Mystery and the Lonely Girl still to check out. The Lonely Girl is supposed to be back near the Commons, however, so we should check that out last," Pence admitted. He then proceeded to share the back stories of said wonders.

"So there are four still in this area and four of us, we should split up. We may be able to find them all faster that way," Hayner proposed.

"That sounds like a plan to me," Roxas agreed. It seemed a lot more efficient to him.

"Then let's start exploring," Pence agreed and they all went their separate ways.

The first place Roxas went was to gaze into his reflection in the small waterfall-like fountain that was close to the entrance to Sunset Hill. Would there really be a 'doppelgänger'?

All he saw was his own reflection until, right before his eyes, his reflection walked _out_ of the water, slowly darkening until Roxas was face to face with a mere shadow of himself.

'_What the hell?_' the former merman gaped, not expecting the presence of an actual doppelgänger. All the other Wonders had been hoaxes, so why wasn't this one the same?

The doppelgänger didn't seem amiable. It looked ready to fight him and he had no weapon to defend himself. He quickly smacked himself. He may have no weapon but he still had his magic.

He remained on the defensive at first, wanting to see what the shadow would do. He didn't want to make the first move when a fight could potentially be avoided entirely.

He stumbled back as the shadow lunged for him, casting off a quick Thunder spell to stun his opponent, following up with a Blizzara spell. He wanted to conserve his magic as much as he could because it was his only way to fight. If he were to exhaust himself too fast, he could end up defenseless.

The shadow tackled Roxas to the ground, causing the former merman to cry out in alarm as they began to attempt to deal as much damage to one another as possible.

Roxas tried to find a way to get back onto his feet, knowing that he was at a disadvantage as long as he wasn't given any footing by his assailant. He just needed to create some distance...

"Aerora!" he yelled out, using the spell to send the shadow flying, giving the time he needed to get back onto his shaky feet. He glowered. He didn't like being manhandled and he was hardly in the mood for a fight. Fighting above ground was a lot different than fighting underwater, especially with gravity working against him. He wanted this over with.

"Firaga!" Roxas called upon one of his most powerful spells, obliterating the shadow almost instantly. Panting with slight exertion, Roxas brushed himself off. "I should have done that in the first place..." It seemed fighting smart sometimes proved to be more detrimental than helpful.

It was at that point that Pence came over.

"So did you find anything?" Pence queried curiously before he glanced and saw his own reflection in the water. Apparent realization hit him. "So the Doppelgänger was just your reflection. I should have known this Wonder was just a most old story as well!"

Roxas opened his mouth to counteract Pence's belief before shutting it. Maybe it would be better to keep the incident a secret. Pence may not believe him, or he would just end up confused. After all, Roxas didn't know the cause of the doppelganger's appearance so there was no way he could explain it.

Brushing it off, he headed off in search of the next Wonder.

KHKHKHKH

Neither Roxas nor his companions noticed that they were being observed by a certain Nobody.

Axel's lips quirked up as he observed Roxas fight off the doppelgänger. So there was more to the blonde than a pretty face and a light heart. When Roxas lost his temper near the end of the fight, Axel couldn't help but chuckle. There was Roxas' feisty nature that he'd seen when they first met. Axel found he liked that about the boy. It made him interesting. It made Axel hope that there was nothing about Roxas that could be of use to the Organization. He would hate to see the blonde be dragged into the darkness. He may be a Nobody but he didn't enjoy seeing people's light being extinguished. No one should share the same fate as those unfortunate enough to lose their hearts.

Axel silently wondered why he had joined the Organization in the first place. It wasn't like he was particularly interested in their goals. Yes, he would like to have his heart back, but regaining it at the cost of others just didn't sit well with him.

Sacrificing other hearts to gain their own made them as bad as the Heartless...

If it wasn't for Saix... Axel quickly shook the thoughts from his head. He had no time for thinking about the past.

He looked back to Roxas to see that he had discovered a portal that led to the World That Never Was, from which the Dusks loved throwing balls at people.

Axel silently hoped that the boy didn't find his way into that world. He would be devoured completely by the darkness before he could even fight back. To his relief, the transient portal vanished before Roxas could get too close to it. Soon after, Hayner popped up and immediately dismissed _that_ particular Wonder as another hoax, calling Roxas the culprit. Again, Roxas chose to remain silent. Axel thought it was a wise move. There was no need to bring attention to the presence of the Nobodies. Axel silently wished that the Organization wasn't going so out of their way to test Roxas. If they weren't very careful, their activity could attract the attention of the Light. That would be much more trouble than they needed.

It was when Roxas came across the multiple Vivi clones that turned into Dusks that attacked him that Axel was forced to intervene. Roxas was good with his magic, yes, but he knew his supply was limited and without a real weapon to back him up, the magic wouldn't be all that strong either. Axel didn't want to take any chances. The Organization was getting _too_ aggressive.

He sent out his Eternal Flames, cutting through the Dusks easily. Roxas whirled around in surprise, gawking at him.

"What are you doing here?" Roxas demanded with a frown.

"I was just wandering around when I found you in that little predicament. Must you be so hostile when I just went out of my way to save your life?" Axel drawled, pretending that he hadn't been spying on Roxas the entire time. The look on the blonde's face gave him an idea that the boy didn't honestly believe him but Roxas didn't call him out on it.

"I could have handled that by myself. What is it with you always butting into my business?" Roxas scowled.

"You could have," Axel agreed. "You seem pretty strong, I admit. That doesn't mean you have to handle it by yourself. Would it really kill you to accept some help every now and then?"

Roxas huffed and looked away. He usually had his brothers and Ariel to assist him. He trusted no one else. How could he when everyone around him had treated him and his brothers as if they were the bane of their existence? Roxas was not used to the concept of having anybody to trust. He had no idea how to rely on somebody other than himself to resolve whatever problem he may end up dealing with.

"Why do you want to help me so much?" Roxas queried with a puzzled frown.

Axel sighed, running a hand through his hair. A part of him did wonder why he was going so much out of his way for the boy. His orders had been to keep an eye on the boy to see if he held any value to the Organization. There was nothing to be said about him protecting Roxas or even making any formal contact with him. If he wanted, he could have easily learned all of the information he needed just from spying on the boy. Why had he made himself known to Roxas? His eyes fell on Roxas' chest, where his abnormally bright heart resided. It called out to the Nobody like a siren and Axel couldn't find the strength to resist it. At least, that was all there had been to it in the beginning. The more he learned about Roxas, the more he grew fascinated by him. He wanted to get to know him for far more than just his mission objectives now.

"There's something about you, Roxas that reminds me of how it had once been to possess a heart. I'd like to explore that feeling more, if you would let me," Axel admitted.

Roxas gazed into Axel's acid green eyes suspiciously, scanning for any hint of insincerity. He relaxed when he noted none. It looked like Axel was telling the truth.

"If you try anything funny..." Roxas let his warning hang in the air as he finally gave in. He supposed he could give Axel a chance. He thought it would be unfair to judge Axel merely because he was a Nobody. He knew all too well how it felt to be deemed dangerous for what he was rather than for who he was.

Axel grinned as he saw that Roxas had tentatively accepted him. "I won't, I promise," he agreed, just as Hayner, Olette and Pence all arrived upon the scene.

"What's he doing here?" Hayner frowned, looking at Axel suspiciously.

"Relax, I haven't done anything to hurt Roxas," Axel assured the other blonde. "I never intended to cause any harm."

"You sure seem fixated on Roxas," Hayner voiced his reservations, crossing his arms.

"You're like an overprotective big brother," Axel mused with a shake of his head. "I just find him interesting. I'd like to be his friend. Is that really a crime?"

"I already have too many overprotective brothers..." Roxas muttered under his breath but Axel still heard him. He looked curious about it but he decided he would save the questioning for later.

"I guess not," Hayner said reluctantly in response to Axel's question. There was nothing wrong with wanting to make friends.

"So what was the outcome of this Wonder, Roxas? What caused the moaning?" Pence asked the blonde eagerly.

"Vivi," Roxas declared, opting not to mention the Dusks. He didn't want to make the three Twilight Town natives worried.

"So all of the Wonders have been fake so far, even the Ghost Train. How much you want to bet that the last on isn't real either?" Hayner mused, crossing his arms. To think he had wasted his precious time on this...

"We might as well see it to the end now, right?" Roxas mused. They had already gotten this far.

"Fine..." Hayner finally conceded and they all headed back to the train station to return to Station Heights, with Axel accompanying them.

"Before you go on this last little adventure of yours, how about you all take a break I'll treat you all to ice cream," Axel offered.

"Why?" Hayner asked in confusion.

"Does there really have to be a reason for having ice cream?" Axel countered, silencing all questions as he headed out. He returned quickly with five blue popsicles.

"Oh, sea-salt ice cream!" Olette exclaimed excitedly. It had been a while since any of them had got to take part in the sweet treat.

"Sea-salt ice cream?" Roxas repeated in confusion. He had never heard of it. Then again, he had never had ice cream before either.

"You've never had it before?" Pence voiced his surprise. "You've been missing out. You definitely have to try it now!"

"If you say so," Roxas shrugged as they headed to the roof of the tower, where they sat and enjoyed the sunset.

When Roxas got his first taste of the ice cream, his eyes immediately lit up with pleasure. His four companions smirked knowingly.

"So you like it?" Axel asked him, looking perfectly at ease.

Roxas nodded. "It's salty but sweet. I've never had anything quite like this before. Thank you," he said, finally remembering his manners.

"It's no problem," Axel responded as the others thanked him as well. "Sea-salt ice cream has been one of my favorites for a long time. I thought it would be a shame if I didn't at least try to share it with those I think would enjoy it."

"You have no one to share with?" Olette queried, sympathy in her voice.

"I used to," Axel admitted, thinking about when he and Saix had still been Somebodies. They had been so much more carefree then.

"What happened?" Pence wondered.

"Time went by, things changed, and well... we're not the same people anymore," Axel admitted.

"I'm sorry," Roxas apologized. Nobody or not, Axel didn't seem to be feigning his sadness.

"Don't be. It's in the past. I've put it behind me," Axel shrugged. "As somebody in another world once told me, Hakuna Matata. No worries."

"That's a weird phrase," Hayner mused, testing the words out. "But kind of catchy."

"Isn't it?" Axel chuckled. He was glad to see that they all seemed to be relaxing around him. It would have been a major downer if they had all remained wary of him. "So, Roxas, you mentioned something about overprotective brothers. Care to share with the class?"

"Well, it's no mystery now that I want to leave this world to go find some people, right? I'm looking for my brothers. A witch cast us from our world and separated us. I've got three older brothers. Cloud is the oldest at twenty-three. He practically raised all of us ever since our parents passed away years ago. I don't know if he made it off our falling world or not," Roxas began, eyes glowing with worry. There had been no doubt in his mind that Atlantica had fallen.

"I'm sorry. I hope he's alright," Olette voiced her sympathy, placing a hand on Roxas' shoulder.

"Me too," Roxas admitted. "Then there's Sora, he's eighteen and more childish than all of us but he's a good guy over all. He kept our spirits high, I can tell you that much. Then there's Ven, my twin. He's like a more talkative, more approachable me."

"So if I had met him, there is a chance we could have been friends faster?" Axel teased Roxas, earning a pointed glare. He chuckled and ruffled Roxas' hair. "Don't be jealous, Roxas. I still like you best."

"I feel so honored," Roxas said dryly, pushing Axel's hand off of him.

"So three brothers. You've got a big family. It must be chaotic," Hayner mused.

"Just a bit," Roxas admitted before smiling fondly. "I wouldn't give it up for the world." his sadness over being separated from them was quite apparent.

"You'll find them one way or another, Roxas. I'm sure of it," Pence said optimistically.

"We just need to help you find a way out of here," Hayner mused, looking thoughtful over the possibilities.

'_I could help with that,_'Axel thought to himself, deciding to save that proposal for now. It was too soon to make that kind of offer. He had to wait for the right time. He was surprised to note how much he really wanted to help Roxas.

They finished off their ice cream in silence before they decided it was time to check out the last Wonder.

They headed into the Tram Commons, searching for the hole that would lead them to the abandoned mansion they would be investigating.

"This forest is kind of eerie," Olette commented, looking around nervously. It was so quiet.

"Don't tell me that you're scared, Olette," Hayner teased, nudging her with his elbow playfully.

"Oh shut up," Olette pouted, nudging him back.

"You've made some interesting friends during the short time you've been here, Roxas," Axel commented, watching the three natives fool around while going through the forest.

"Yeah... I was lucky," Roxas admitted. He hated to think of what would happen if he'd been found by anybody else... like Seifer. He shuddered at the thought.

It was at that point that Axel picked up on a strange rustling from above. Glancing up, he didn't see anything. Nevertheless, he went on guard.

Noticing his apprehension, Roxas gave him a concerned look. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Axel said. "I just thought I heard something, that's all." He didn't want to make them worry if he was wrong about his suspicions.

"Well, if you're sure," Roxas responded before he went back to chatting with the Twilight Town trio.

When they arrived at the mansion, they found the gate locked.

"It doesn't look like anybody has been here for a while," Roxas noted the dusty, broken-down look of the place.

"Nobody has lived here for years," Hayner asserted. "People say it's haunted."

"There are any creatures that exist in the worlds, I can admit that, but ghosts don't exist," Axel remarked. "Except in one world, that is."

"Which one's that?" Pence asked, more than a little intrigued.

"A weird place called HalloweenTown," Axel said. "I've never been to a place so crazy in my life and I've been to a lot of places."

"It sounds fun," Hayner commented. His former belief that there were no other worlds had been blown clear out of the water, so he might as well embrace it.

"I suppose you could say that," Axel agreed.

"Looks like no one is here, I guess this one was just a story as well," Olette concluded after they had scanned the mansion from head to toe for any signs of activity.

"So we're done with the wild goose chase?" Hayner asked eagerly.

"Yeah," Pence agreed with a shrug as they turned to leave. As they diverted their attention away from the mansion, it was at that time that a figure in red peeked through the windows, eyes trained on Roxas and Axel.

Just as they were about to leave, Axel heard the rustling again.

"Wait," he warned them, eyes narrowed as he summoned his Eternal Flames.

"What's going on, Axel?" Roxas queried.

"There's something here. Before, I thought it was my imagination but now I'm sure," the Nobody explained.

"What do you think it is?" Olette asked worriedly.

"I'll let you know once I get a better feel of it," Axel stated before his eyes widened and he whirled around. "Get down!" he cried out a little too late, as a large tongue shot out, knocking Hayner, Pence and Olette to the ground brutally, succeeding in knocking them out in one go.

Roxas rushed to go their assistance just as the tongue made another sweep towards him. This time, Axel was prepared as he swung his chakrams at the assailant, slicing the tongue off before it could reach Roxas.

There was a loud roar of pain and their enemy made itself visible.

"Great, a Veil Lizard. I should have known," Axel frowned. This Heartless was an annoyingly elusive opponent.

Roxas glared at the Heartless. It was the first one he had seen so far since he had been here and he cursed its bad timing. He doubted his magic would be able to resolve the situation by itself like he had managed to do with that shadow version of himself.

"What's this bastard doing here?" he wondered.

"He's most likely after you. I wasn't kidding when I mentioned how much light shines through from your heart. You're like a freaking beacon to all of the dark creatures out there. I'm really surprised it took them this long to find you," Axel pointed out. Roxas looks stricken upon the realization. So that meant Hayner, Pence, and Olette had been hurt all because of him?

"Damn it," he cursed. His status as a Keybearer continued to cause him grief even when he didn't possess his Keyblades. It had been a little better before because he at least had the means to counteract the countless Heartless attacks but now... he wasn't quite so lucky. "I'm getting sick and tired of this."

"Look sharp!" Axel warmed as he hooked an arm around Roxas' waist, pulling him out of the way of the next attack. "Brood later, act now!"

"Fine," Roxas agreed, glaring at the Heartless viciously. "I'll act. Firaga!"

The Veil Lizard squealed in pain as the powerful spell hit him head on.

"You sure like that spell," Axel whistled, secretly pleased to see Roxas using his favored element so skillfully.

"It's effective," Roxas responded, panting. Using such a taxing spell from the get go might not have been the best idea but he'd gotten angry.

"Don't kill yourself, Blondie. I'm here to help you," Axel said as he swung his chakrams at the Heartless again, creating some deep gashes in the lizard's torso, burning it. The Heartless squealed once more as his body caught on fire.

"Trust me, I'm nowhere near my limit," Roxas declared, a feral glint in his eyes as he prepared to use Ven's favorite spell. "Aeroga!"

The air-based spell slammed into the lizard with full force, fanning the flames Axel had created into an inferno. The Veil Lizard vanished within the intense flames, letting out one last dying cry before dissipating.

"Nice move" Axel whistled, a wide grin on his face. "I like your style, kid."

His grin vanished as he saw the guilt-stricken look on Roxas' face as he knelt next to his unconscious friends. He sighed. He knew what was bothering the boy.

"You know it won't stop, don't you? The Darkness will continue to come after you and those around you will get caught in the crossfire," Axel voiced the unfortunate truth.

"So what do I do? I can't let them get hurt because of me again. I could never forgive myself for that..." Roxas wondered, looking frustrated.

"You need to get out of here. Staying on the move will help slow down those who would come after you," Axel said.

"How am I supposed to do that? If I could leave here, I already would have!" Roxas countered.

"I can help you on that front," Axel admitted, looking solemn. "With the use of the Dark Corridors, I can take you wherever you want to go. It's risky but it's better than just sitting around, isn't it?"

"How can I be sure that I can trust you?" Roxas queried, gazing at Axel uncertainly.

"You can't," Axel said. "But I promise you, Roxas, I will never hurt you. That's all the assurance I can give you."

Roxas looked down, pondering his options before glancing at the three humans who had sheltered him for the last few days. He couldn't let them be put in danger because of him again. He looked back at Axel with determination shining in his eyes.

"Let's go," he said, taking the hand that Axel held out to him as they sank into the Dark Corridor, still being watched by the man in red.


	12. Unexpected Ally

Chapter Twelve: Unexpected Ally

Riku glanced surreptitiously at Sora as he was busy cooking their breakfast. It had been a few days since he had gained his new roommate and Riku found himself enjoying the brunette's company greatly. It helped soothe the discontent he felt when it came to being trapped on Destiny Islands.

Nevertheless, he could see the restlessness in Sora's eyes. Since he had arrived, Sora hadn't once left Riku's home while he got used to using his weakened legs again. Riku couldn't blame the boy for wanting to get out of the confining space.

"Would you like to go out later, Sora? I can take you out to the island I found you on. You could meet my other friends and get some time to enjoy being outside," Riku proposed as he set breakfast in front of the former merman.

Sora looked up at him with excitement clear in his eyes. Riku found the way that Sora wore his heart on his sleeve endearing. There were not many who bared their hearts so easily, especially given the dark times. Riku silently wondered how the brunette had managed to remain so innocent.

"You'll really take me out?" Sora exclaimed, going starry eyed. Riku nodded, a small smile on his face. His aquamarine eyes widened in shock when he found himself tackled to the floor by an exuberant Sora. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Sora voiced his gratitude.

Riku chuckled in amusement. "It's no problem, Sora. I really hadn't meant to keep you cooped up in here. I just thought you needed a little time to adjust," he admitted.

"Well, thank you for that consideration," Sora said happily. "But I think I'm fine now."

"I'm glad," Riku answered. "Not to be rude, but would you mind getting off of me now?"

Sora blinked for a moment before he realized he was still straddling Riku's hips. Blushing in embarrassment, he quickly scrambled off.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, fiddling with his fingers nervously.

"There's no need to apologize, Sora. I didn't mind," Riku reassured Sora. Really, who would protest having such a cute brunette shower them with affection? Not him, that's for sure. Riku found it to be a nice addition to his bland life. Now that he thought about it, it seemed like Sora liked to tackle him a lot. He supposed it would be something he would have to get used to. He found that it didn't seem like that much of a chore.

"So are we going to go out now?" Sora asked eagerly.

"We can if you want to," Riku acquiesced and Sora cheered. The brunette took Riku's hand and began to drag him out.

"Slow down, Sora. The islands aren't going anywhere," Riku said as he allowed himself to be tugged along.

Sora just grinned, greedy eyes trained on the water he had missed so much. Being in the surface world was nice but Sora was beginning to miss his aquatic home. Too bad he couldn't survive in the water as he was now...

When they arrived at the island that Riku and his friends spent most of their free time at, Sora was quick to climb out of the boat and glance around. The island looked a lot less daunting in the sunlight than it had at night.

He didn't to completely on shore as he enjoyed the feel of the water lapping at his feet. It made him feel that much closer to his home.

"You really like the water, don't you?" Riku queried, eyes softening as he observed the brunette.

"It reminds me of home," Sora admitted, kicking his feet out, watching as the water splashed out due to his movements.

"I suppose if it hadn't been for the spell that weakened your legs, you would have no issue swimming," Riku mused, recalling how Sora had been drowning when he first met him.

"Maybe," Sora said vaguely. He really had no idea how to swim with human legs but he hoped he could learn. He would love to be able to swim again.

"I could help you regain your mobility again so that you can swim if you would like," Riku offered. He could see the strong longing in Sora's eyes for the water. It made him want to grant Sora's wish more than anything.

"Would you really?" Sora exclaimed, blue eyes virtually glowing in his excitement.

"If it's really what you would like," Riku answered, quirking his lips up at Sora's happiness.

"I would _love_ it, thank you!" Sora tackle-hugged Riku again.

Riku marveled over the physical nature of Sora's affections. How could he give it away so freely to someone he barely knew? The silver-haired Keybearer just couldn't understand it, he couldn't understand Sora's light. That didn't mean that he didn't want to. He figured that the more time he spent with Sora, the more he would be able to see what set them apart so dramatically, even when they were both Keybearers who had been trapped in their own worlds for the majority of their life with no freedom. What did Sora have that he didn't?

"How can you be so happy all the time? You're life couldn't have been all that easy... how do you stay so strong?" Riku voiced what he had been wondering about.

Sora looked thoughtful. "I stay happy because if I didn't, my little brothers wouldn't be able to stay strong against all of the adversity we faced in our own home," he finally admitted. "They needed to know that no matter what comes our way, there was still hope for a bright future as long as we have one another."

"You care a lot about your brothers, don't you?" Riku mused. Sora nodded.

"They are all I have," Sora admitted. "Well, them and Ariel, that is."

"You'll find them again, I'm sure of it. I will try to help you as much as I can," Riku promised. He was a Keybearer for a reason. He had always wondered what it was that kept him on Destiny Islands for this long when he could be of use in the war out in the field, maybe this was the reason he had been left behind...

"Thanks," Sora grinned. "Now I believe you promised to help me dominate the water again?"

Riku smirked in amusement at Sora's choice of words, he liked the confidence. "Who am I to deny you anything?" he countered with a gallant now. "Shall we start the lesson?"

Sora just nodded enthusiastically.

KHKHKHKH

"You're a quick learner," Riku complimented as he and Sora floated in the water not too far away from the shore. "With enough practice, you may just be able to dominate the water like you claimed you would."

"Was there any doubt?" Sora replied with a wide grin. It felt great to be in the water, even if it did feel somewhat foreign to be in it with legs instead of a tail.

"I suppose not," Riku answered. "You know if you keep swimming, you may be able to strengthen your legs faster like this than by simply walking around."

"That would be good," Sora answered, feeling his optimism for a positive outcome of his predicament rise. He would get used to being human, find his way out of this world and save his brothers and friend, he just had to.

They floated in comfortable silence until the peace was broken by something - or rather, someone - breaking through the surface of the water between the two boys.

Sora let out a loud, startled yelp and Riku had to restrain the urge to summon his Keyblade to deal with the newcomer until he realized who it was. He scowled. "Damn it, Tidus. I told you not to sneak up on me like that!"

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed human in front of him just smirked, unrepentant. "It's not my fault you're so easy to scare, Riku," Tidus countered. "Who's your new friend?"

"I'm Sora," Sora introduced himself. At first he had been a little scared of seeing yet another human that he didn't know, but seeing the interaction between Tidus and Riku made him relax. Tidus was no enemy.

"Sora? Like the sky?" Tidus repeated, studying Sora curiously. "It suits you."

"Thanks," Sora grinned, pleased with the compliment. "So you're Tidus?"

"That's right," Tidus answered proudly. "I'm a resident of Destiny Islands, and one of Riku's childhood friends."

"It's nice to meet you," the former merman said politely. He liked Tidus' confidence and enthusiasm. He felt that they could get along easily.

"Nice to meet you too," Tidus responded. He glanced at Riku, only to see an odd look on the boy's face. If Tidus didn't know any better, he would have said it was jealousy...

Realization hit Tidus like a brick and a mischievous grin appeared on his face. So Riku more than simply liked the pretty little brunette who was accompanying him. Tidus could have a lot of fun with this.

"So from what I managed to overhear, you're trying to learn how to swim, right?" the blonde asked Sora.

"That's right," Sora confirmed.

"Then why are you asking Riku for help? If you really want to learn how to swim well than you should come to me. I'm the best swimmer here!" Tidus exclaimed, trying to bait Riku.

"Riku's been doing a good job of helping me so far," Sora defended his friend faithfully, seeing the irritation growing in Riku's eyes at Tidus' taunting.

"That may be, but I could still teach you better," Tidus insisted.

"You just want someone to play Blitzball with," Riku snorted derisively.

"You wound me with your paranoia, Riku. My intentions are completely pure. You're just jealous that I see more potential in Sora than I see in you as a future Blitzball player," the blonde taunted.

"...What's Blitzball?" Sora queried in confusion, a blank look on his face.

Tidus started at Sora as if he had grown another head. How could the brunette _not_ know what Blitzball was? It was one of the most popular sports ever!

"...You don't know what Blitzball is? You poor, deprived child! Don't worry, though, I'm here. I'll teach you everything you need to know," Tidus promised and he swept Sora away before Riku could do so much as to protest.

"Damn," Riku scowled, having been left alone in the water. He'd been hoping to take the time to get to know Sora better. He cursed Tidus for getting in his way.

With a defeated sigh, he swam towards the shore to follow the two blue-eyed boys to wherever they were running off to. What else could he do? It wasn't like he could keep Sora all to himself, even though a dark part of him wanted to do just that.

'_I have no right to think of Sora like that_,' Riku chastised himself.

KHKHKHKH

Sora felt his mind whirring as he tried to process all of the rules that Tidus and his red-haired friend, Wakka, had explained to him about their beloved water sport.

"Do you get it now, Sora?" Tidus asked the brunette, hope clear in his eyes.

Sora just looked sheepish. Having never got to play with anyone besides his brothers and Ariel, he had never really had the chance to learn to appreciate team sports. Blitzball sounded interesting, but Sora really doubted he would make a good player.

"Why don't you let him off, Tidus? The poor guy looks so confused," Riku attempted to rescue Sora from the Blitzball enthusiasts.

"You just want to hog Sora all to yourself," Tidus insisted, wanting Riku to admit it.

Unfortunately for Tidus, Riku had had enough of his obnoxious nature. He wasn't going to dance to the blonde's tune any longer.

"Look, Tidus, we don't have time for this. How are Sora and I supposed to find a way out of this world if you keep distracting us?" the silver-haired Keybearer exclaimed irately.

Tidus and Wakka looked surprised at the outburst.

"You're looking for a way off Destiny Islands?" Wakka repeated. Both he and Tidus had known how displeased Riku had been in their small world but he'd never actively sought an exit before. Was Sora the reason for his change?

"Sora was sent here by a witch and separated from his family. I promised to help him reunite with them," Riku explained.

"Why didn't you tell me? If I'd known, I wouldn't have wasted your time like this," Tidus asked Sora, feeling guilty.

Sora just smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Tidus. I didn't mind. I enjoyed learning about Blitzball. Maybe one day, we can actually play a game together," he said.

Tidus smiled. "I would enjoy that," he agreed. "If I find any lead to how you can get out of this world, I'll be sure to tell you. Good luck finding your family."

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that," Sora said as he and Riku left.

"Riku really doesn't feel at home here, yeah?" Wakka mused.

"They say home is where the heart is," Tidus declared. "I guess Riku's heart just isn't here."

"Then where is it?" Wakka frowned.

"I don't know," Tidus admitted. He wondered if Sora would be the one to help Riku find what he was looking for.

KHKHKHKH

"You're too nice for your own good," Riku decided as he and Sora strolled along the beach.

"So I've been told," Sora responded with a sheepish smile.

"You should really be careful, you know. Someone could take advantage of your kindness. I'm surprised no one has already," Riku remarked.

"They never got the chance to. Everybody was too scared," Sora explained.

"Of you?" Riku frowned in confusion. Who could be scared of Sora? Sora shook his head.

"No, they were scared of my older brother, Cloud. He's the strongest warrior in our kingdom and the head of the King's guard. People would be suicidal to incite the anger of an overprotective brother wielding a gigantic Buster Blade," Sora grinned at the memory of Cloud intimidating past bullies.

"Does he look like you?" Riku wondered, trying to imagine an older looking Sora using a giant sword.

"He does, but he looks more like Roxas and Ven. They all have blonde hair, you see, like our mother. I'm the only one who took after our father with brown hair," Sora elaborated.

"I like your brown hair," Riku asserted.

"Thanks," Sora grinned, pleased by the compliment.

"So tell me more about your brother. It sounds like you admire him a lot," Riku prodded.

"I do," Sora agreed. "He's strict but he's always done what he thought was best for us. He put us first before himself. He raised us all on his own. He was our brother, father, _and_ mother, making sure that we never felt the absence of either parent. Ven, Roxas and I are lucky to have him."

"He sounds like an amazing person," Riku commented.

"He is. I just wish other people could see that. He deserves to be loved for who he is and not for what people can get out of him. Most people only look skin deep. They only see his beauty and his status," Sora admitted, eyes darkening as he remembered the shallow suitors that had pursued Cloud, including Sephiroth.

"How is it that you can see so much good in people when all that you've seen is the bad side of people?"Riku marveled. It just didn't add up.

"I'd like to believe that there's good in everybody. If there wasn't, the Darkness would have already won, right?" Sora voiced his beliefs.

"The Darkness is winning," Riku reminded Sora.

"That's because the Darkness hasn't come face to face with my brothers and I yet," Sora said conspiratorially.

"Well no one can say you don't have confidence," Riku declared, shaking his head. While he wanted to believe Sora, he found it hard to believe that three or four new allies could make that much of a difference.

"Trust me, the Darkness is going down. It made a big mistake when it took my world and my family," Sora proclaimed, looking determined.

"I guess I'll have to help you, then. Somebody has to look out for you in your brother's place," Riku smirked at Sora's indignant look.

"I don't need looking after," Sora pouted.

"Alright, you don't," Riku conceded. "But it wouldn't hurt to have back up, now would it?"

"I guess not," Sora agreed.

KHKHKHKH

"So who was it that Terra told us to look for?" Goofy asked Donald once they arrived at Destiny Islands.

"Riku. Terra passed the ability to use the Keyblade to him," Donald explained. "He might be willing to help us."

"Let's hope so," Goofy replied. "How exactly are we supposed to look for him?"

"By asking, dummy," Donald snapped, rolling his eyes.

"Oh yeah," Goofy responded sheepishly before his eyes fell on a certain red-haired female. "How about her?"

Donald immediately rushed over to the girl, who looked a little startled to be face to face with a humanoid duck and humanoid dog.

"...Can I help you?" she asked, a bemused look on her face.

"Yeah! Would you happen to know someone called Riku?" Donald asked, his eagerness causing him to forget to introduce himself first. The girl gave him a suspicious look.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm sorry. I'm Goofy and this is Donald. We were told by a Keyblade Master named Terra that Riku could possibly help us find some people who had been tossed out of their world," the dog explained.

"You mean people like Sora?" the girl asked, recalling the boy who had mysteriously popped up a few days ago.

"That name sounds familiar..." Donald frowned.

"It's one of the names that Ven told us. Sora is the name of one of his brothers," Goofy remembered. He looked at the girl excitedly. "Does this mean you know Sora?"

The girl nodded. "Riku rescued him from drowning a few nights ago. They've been looking for a way out of this world ever since. Sora really wants to find his brothers."

"That's great!" Donald exclaimed. He couldn't believe their luck. They had already found on of Ven's brothers and it hadn't taken any time at all! "One of his brothers is with Terra. He's really worried about him."

"Oh my god, Sora will be so happy to hear that one of his brothers has been found," the girl exclaimed. "I can take you to Riku's place right now. I'm Kairi, by the way."

"That would be great, Kairi. The sooner we reunite them, the sooner we can get them home!" Goofy declared. Too many people had had their lives destroyed by the war. If they could save even just one person the grief so many others had already suffered, it could make all the difference.

However, when they arrived, neither Riku nor Sora were anywhere to be found.

"That's odd. I thought they would be here for sure," Kairi frowned.

"Is there anywhere else we might find them?" Donald queried.

"The island," Kairi said. "Follow me."

KHKHKHKH

Tidus walked along the shore. He kept thinking about how Riku and Sora were planning to leave Destiny Islands.

He had said that Riku's heart didn't lay here but now that he thought about it, what about his own?

For the last couple of years, since the war between the forces of Light and Darkness had escalated, he'd been experiencing a deep feeling of wrongness. It was like some part of him was screaming that he didn't belong here. He didn't know how that was possible though. He'd been in Destiny Islands as long as he could remember. Where else could he belong _but_ the Islands?

Nevertheless, the dreams he had of a city that never slept, monsters called Aeons, and a beautiful girl with one blue eye and one green eyes still lingered in his thoughts.

Tidus sighed in frustration. He wasn't going to get any answers just brooding like this,

"What should I do?" he wondered aloud. How could he put his own mind at ease?

'_Go with them,_' a voice rang out. Tidus looked up to see what looked like a barefooted, tan-skinned child wearing a purple hooded cloak. For some reason, Tidus found him familiar.

"Who are you? What do you mean?" Tidus queried, wondering if he was just seeing things.

'_I'm a friend. If you want to find where you belong, go with the Keybearers,_' the child told Tidus. '_Your story isn't meant for this world._'

'_My story?_' Tidus thought with a frown. For some reason, an image of a scarred black-haired man in red came to him when he thought of those words. "You want me to go with Sora and Riku?"

'_It's your choice. I'm just offering you a path to find your answers,_' the transparent boy replied before vanishing.

"Did that really just happen?" Tidus wondered. It wasn't just his imagination, right?

He didn't get much time to think over that as the sky began to darken.

Tidus looked puzzled. The islands rarely ever had storms. This was a little out of the blue.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Tidus muttered as he saw a large shadowy figure begin to rise up in front of him.

KHKHKHKH

Riku and Sora were walking towards what Riku and Kairi affectionately termed 'The Secret Place' when they saw the sudden change in the atmosphere.

"This isn't a natural storm," Riku declared. He could sense the darkness exuding from it.

"I've got to agree with you there," Sora agreed. "Let's check it out." He started running over to where the center of the storm appeared to be.

"Wait, Sora!" Riku protested. If it was a Heartless as Riku feared, Sora would have no way of defending himself. Cursing the brunette's impulsiveness, Riku raced after him.

KHKHKHKH

"What's that?" Kairi frowned, seeing the large dark cloud looming over the island that she, Donald and Goofy were heading toward.

"Trouble," Donald answered with narrowed eyes just as the boat arrived at the dock. He quickly jumped off and headed towards the area.

"Wait for me, Donald!" Goofy called out, waiting for Kairi to get off before getting off the boat himself. "You should stay here, Kairi. It could get dangerous."

"No, I'm coming with you. Riku and Sora may be over there," Kairi insisted. She didn't want to see them in danger.

"Just be careful," Goofy conceded before they started towards the darkened area.

KHKHKHKH

"Woah!" Tidus yelped as he dodge rolled out of the way of the Dark Side's latest attack. He really wished that there was some way that he could fight the Heartless but he didn't have a weapon. All he had was a Blitzball and that wouldn't help him very much. All he could do was dodge and weave through the monster's attacks and hope he could find an opening to escape. As much as he hated to run away, he had a feeling that it would be the only way he could survive. At the same time, he knew that running would mean the monster would still be around and that it would hurt someone else and that was the last thing that Tidus wanted.

With that realization, Tidus strengthened his resolve. He was going to beat this thing if he had to die trying. No one else would get caught in the crossfire if he had anything to say about it.

"Give me your best shot, bastard! I'll give it back to you ten-fold!" he promised brazenly, waving a fist at the Heartless.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that purple clad child again for a moment and noticed he was smiling. He had only a second to wonder why that was before the child vanished again, leaving a strange, blue, oddly familiar sword in his place.

Tidus didn't even think about it as he took the sword in hand and faced off against the Dark Side.

Riku, Sora, Kairi, Donald and Goofy came just in time to see Tidus do a forward somersault before slashing at the Dark Side with a great deal of force.

"Did you know he could do that?" an impressed Sora asked Riku, who shook his head, looking dumbstruck. He was wondering where Tidus had got that sword in the first place.

"Shouldn't we help him?" Goofy inquired, reminding everyone of the severity of the situation.

"Oh, right," Riku agreed before drawing out his Keyblade and lunging into battle.

Donald took out his staff and Goofy got his shield ready.

"_Thundara!_" Donald cast his spell, striking the Heartless and causing it to recoil, giving Riku and Goofy their opening to unleash their own physical attacks against the Heartless.

"Glad you guys could join the party," Tidus said brightly. He figured he would ask about the strange humanoid dog and humanoid duck later.

"Focus, Tidus," Riku scolded the blonde who just grinned before slashing at the Dark Side again.

"I can help too!" Sora insisted. He may not have his Keyblade but his magic still worked. "_Firaga!_" The giant fireball sent the Heartless right off of his feet.

"You're good with magic," Riku complimented him.

"Thanks," Sora grinned proudly before looking in alarm. "Riku, watch out!"

Riku turned just in time to get blindsided by the Heartless. He slammed into a tree and lay there, stunned.

Sora glared at the Dark Side, enraged at what it had done to his friend. "You'll pay for that," he promised before summoning the energy needed for his best spell. "_Triple Firaga!_"

The Dark Side didn't even stand a chance.

Tidus whistled. "Remind me to never get you angry, Sora. You're badass," he declared.

Sora just went over to where Riku lay. "_Cura_," he muttered, healing Riku's injuries.

He helped Riku get back onto his feet.

"It looks like I got sloppy," Riku admitted. "I'm sorry for that. Thanks for the assist."

"It was no problem. It was the least that I could do after all that you've done for me," Sora smiled.

"I don't mean to intrude, but would you guys be Riku and Sora?" Goofy broke through their moment.

"That would be us," Riku agreed. "Who are you?"

"I'm Goofy and that's Donald, over there. Terra and Ven sent us out to look for the two of you," the dog explained.

"Ven? You've seen Ven?" Sora exclaimed, hope rising in his heart. "How is he?"

"He's safe. Terra, one of the Keyblade Masters, has taken him under his wing," Donald reassured Sora.

"Terra was the one who gave me the ability to use the Keyblade," Riku supplied. "Your Ven is in good hands."

Sora visibly relaxed when he heard Riku's vote of confidence.

"He's worried about you and the others. We promised we'd help find you and bring you all together again," Goofy declared.

"That would mean that you can get us out of Destiny Islands?" Sora asked.

"That's right, you and Riku both. Terra said that it is a good time for Riku to join up with everyone else," Donald declared.

"It's about time," Riku muttered, though he was pleased that he would finally be getting an active role instead of being stuck on the islands.

"I know this may be asking a lot, but could I come too?" Tidus queried.

"You want to leave this world too?" Riku asked in surprise. Tidus had never shown such an inclination before.

"What you said earlier got me thinking and well, there are things I need to see for myself. Things that I can't see while I'm here," Tidus admitted. "My instincts are telling me this is the right course to follow."

"Well, if that's the case, who are we to deny you?" Sora smiled. "I hope you find what you're looking for!"

"You too, Sora. I'll try to help in whatever way I can," Tidus promised.

"Then let's go!" Sora said excitedly and they followed Donald and Goofy to where they had parked their Gummi ship.


	13. Old Enemy, New Friend

Chapter Thirteen: Old Enemy, New Friend

"_If only you could know_

_The things I long to say._

_If only I could tell you_

_What I wish I could convey._

_It's in my every glance,_

_My heart's an open book._

_You'd see it all at once_

_If only you would look._

_If only you could glimpse_

_The feeling that I feel._

_If only you would notice_

_What I'm dying to reveal._

_The dreams I can't declare,_

_The needs I can't deny,_

_You'd understand them all_

_If only you would try._

_All my secrets, you would learn them._

_All my longings, you'd return them._

_Then the silence would be broken,_

_Not a word would need be spoken..._" Ariel sang softly as she brushed out Jasmine's hair. She'd been living with the Princess for a few days now, mostly getting used to the climate and learning how to walk. She found that she and the other Princess got along rather well. She'd never really had a female friend before. Ariel used to be close with her sisters before Sora, Roxas and Ven got their Keyblades. Since then, they had been at odds with one another and Ariel had lost all female companionship.

She never blamed her friends for that. It had been her choice to support them, after all. It wasn't their fault that so many people were terrified of them because of some stupid legend.

"That's such a beautiful song. Is it meant for Eric?" Jasmine queried curiously. Ariel nodded. "You love him a lot, don't you?"

"Yes, more than anything..." the redhead admitted, thinking of the handsome young Prince that she had fallen in love with at first sight. She couldn't even explain how her feelings had grown so strong. The heart really was a mystery.

"I hope things will work out for you and your Prince," Jasmine wished Ariel well.

"I don't even know if he is alive or not," Ariel pointed out.

"You don't know if he is dead either," Jasmine pointed out. "Just keep your faith. I'm certain you'll get your happy ending."

"Thank you," Ariel smiled, feeling a little more hopeful.

"Hello, ladies. Are you ready to go on your tour, Ariel?" Aladdin broke into their conversation, waiting for them at the door to the room.

Ariel smiled and nodded. She grabbed the brown cloak Jasmine let her borrow and covered up completely. She didn't want to burn, after all.

"Let's go!" Ariel exclaimed excitedly.

Aladdin led her to the balcony, making Ariel a little confused. Wasn't the exit to the room in the other direction?

"Just trust me," Aladdin winked, sharing a secret smile with Jasmine. He climbed onto the ledge and then helped Ariel onto it.

Ariel wobbled unsteadily, grasping at Aladdin's hand tightly to keep her balance. Gravity was still someone she needed to get used to.

"Jump," Aladdin instructed. Ariel glanced at him incredulously but she trusted him, so she did as he said.

Letting out a small squeal as they fell together, it was cut short as a purple rug shot out of nowhere and caught them.

Ariel marveled at the rug, having not expected such a thing.

"Ariel, meet Carpet. He's a good friend of ours," Aladdin introduced the former mermaid to his companion. "He will be taking us around the kingdom so that you can see all that you wish to see without having to strain yourself too much. Your legs are still weak, right?"

"Unfortunately," Ariel apologized. She could walk relatively easily now but she was quick to fatigue because her stamina still needed some work.

"You'll get back to your feet in no time, just keep on trying," Aladdin told her supportively.

"Thanks, I'll do that," she replied with a nod. "So where are we going first?"

"The bazaar. It's normally pretty populated, but with the Heartless, only the bravest of merchants go around trying to sell their wares," Aladdin explained as they arrived at their first stop.

"That's a pity," Ariel replied. She knew how much trouble the Heartless could cause. Her father had managed to keep the Heartless from invading the kingdom but he also had to keep everyone under lockdown, and the kingdom that used to be so full of life became almost devoid of it.

She prayed that one day, the worlds could be free of the problems that the Heartless caused. People deserved to be free to do as they pleased and not imprisoned by their own fear.

They looked around for a little while before they encountered something, or rather _someone_ that displeased Aladdin greatly.

"Iago! What are you doing here?!" the black-haired boy scowled. He started swiping at the parrot viciously, trying to catch him.

"I'm not here to cause trouble, I promise!" Iago squawked, dodging all of Aladdin's attempts to capture him.

"Then why are you here?" Aladdin demanded to know.

"I came to apologize. I shouldn't have helped Jafar. It was a mistake and I'm sorry! Please, believe me!" the parrot begged. "I came to ask you for forgiveness."

"Well, I'm not giving it," Aladdin spoke stubbornly. Iago's actions when Jafar had caused all that trouble to Agrabah were unforgivable. "Come on, we're leaving."

The confused mermaid princess could do nothing more than follow Aladdin away from the parrot.

"What's going on?" Ariel asked, gazing back at Iago. She had never seen a bird like that before. All that she had ever seen were sea gulls.

"That's Iago. He worked with an old enemy that tried to take over Agrabah a little while ago," Aladdin explained. "He's trouble, so stay away from him."

"He really did look apologetic, though," Ariel mused uncertainly.

"Don't let yourself get fooled by him, Ariel. He's a good actor. He's only trying to win sympathy," Aladdin said hotly. He knew how Iago's mind worked. He was as bad as Jafar.

"If you say so," Ariel replied. Who was she to question things? She hadn't experienced any of the same things that Aladdin and his companions had when it came to the parrot. Nevertheless, Iago seemed sincere to her.

Things were pretty quiet from then on... until they found themselves surrounded on all sides by a bunch of goons, led by none other than Abis Mal.

"What's going on?" Ariel asked, confused. Why were these men trying to create trouble with them?

"Let's just say I've got on the bad side of one too many thieves in these parts," Aladdin explained. He'd taken away their loot more than once and distributed it amongst the needy. It ingratiated him amongst the inhabitants of Agrabah but got him many enemies as well. "I'll fight them off. When I give you the signal, run."

"I can help," Ariel insisted. She could still use her magic to assist him.

"Just be careful," Aladdin stated as all of the thieves began to lung at them.

Ariel scampered away as fast as she could, casting a Thunder spell whenever anybody got too close to her. Distance, for her when her primary abilities were in magic, was her greatest asset.

Aladdin was using his own speed and quick wit to get the best of his own opponents, glad that with the constant Heartless presence, he carried a weapon on him at all times. He could have had a very messy experience, otherwise.

Things seemed to be going well for the two outnumbered individuals, until somebody managed to sneak behind Ariel and grabbed her from behind. Screaming in alarm, she drew Aladdin's attention towards them.

"Let her go!" Aladdin cried out with a glare.

"No can do, Aladdin," Abis Mal responded, grinning as he realized they finally had the street rat where they wanted him. "The Princess here will fetch us a good price in ransom." He, of course, knew of the fact that Princess Jasmine was always in Aladdin's company. Finding them both together with no extra protection was a rare thing indeed...

At that moment, the goon who had captured Ariel pulled off her hood and Abis Mal looked shocked.

"That's not Princess Jasmine!" he stated the obvious. "Who is she?"

"Does it matter? We could still make some money off of her at the slave market," one of his lackies suggested, looking at Ariel's exotic appearance. She would fetch one hell of a price if they were to sell her.

"Don't touch me!" Ariel exclaimed. "_Deep Freeze!_"

The man holding her froze instantly, and she took that moment to break free of him. Unfortunately, this made the other thieves a lot more aggressive and she ended up being flung roughly into Aladdin, knocking them both off of their feet.

"Kill them both!" Abis Mal declared, his hatred for Aladdin reaching its peak.

Things looked dire until they heard a loud, abrasive voice.

"Head's up!" Iago called out and the goons turned to see the frozen figure of their comrade rolling towards them. They were all bowled over and were knocked out for the count.

Aladdin stared at the parrot incredulously.

"You saved us," he remarked. He couldn't believe it...

"I did? Yeah, I did!" Iago exclaimed. He'd really wanted to get revenge on the thieves because when he'd been following Aladdin, trying to get him to forgive him, they had mistaken him as being Aladdin's friend and had attempted to rough him up. But seeing as he could use this as an advantage to get on Aladdin's good side, Iago was perfectly willing to let the street rat keep believing that. "I told you I saw the error of my ways. I want to make amends. Just please, give me a chance!"

Aladdin sighed. He wasn't too sure about this but he _did_ owe Iago for saving their lives...

"Fine, I'll convince the Sultan to give you a fair trial," Aladdin conceded, which made Iago blanch. He knew the Sultan wouldn't be very willing to grant him any type of mercy after what he had done. He tried to plead with Aladdin but the boy was resolute in his thinking and Iago couldn't even escape because Aladdin had finally got him into his clutches.

Ariel followed after, figuring that their tour would be cut short for now.

"Aladdin, I'm sorry... I said I could help and I only ended up being a burden," she apologized.

"Don't be, Ariel. You were amazing. I didn't know you were so good with magic. I thought you were pretty impressive out there. They just caught you by surprise, that's all. Don't worry about it," Aladdin reassured the girl.

Ariel smiled, relieved to see that he didn't begrudge her for leading them into that precarious situation. "Thanks," she declared with a smile.

"No problem," Aladdin grinned.

"I've been meaning to ask, but who is this girl? Don't tell me you ditched Jasmine for her," Iago queried tactlessly.

"Don't be ridiculous," Aladdin glowered at the parrot. "Ariel is a friend of mine and Jasmine's. She's new to the area."

"I can see that," Iago remarked. "You don't see girls like that around this place."

"I suppose that's true," Aladdin admitted. It was one of the reasons that he and Jasmine had been so insistent on Ariel wearing the cloak. She would gather far too much unwanted attention for her unique appearance. She would be safer this way. "By the way, Ariel, I've been meaning to tell you. I got into contact with Aqua, one of the Keyblade Masters I know. She's on her way here as we speak. She's already made contact with one of the boys you are looking for. I believe she called him Ven."

"Really?!" Ariel exclaimed. She could hardly believe her ears. With all of the worlds out there, what had been the chance that she would find one of her friends so easily?

Aladdin nodded with a smile. "With all of us looking out for you and your friends, you'll together again in no time," he declared confidently.

"That's great," Ariel smiled, feeling like a gigantic weight had lifted from her shoulders. "Thank you..."

"Don't mention it. I would do anything to help my friends," Aladdin smiled with a playful wink.

"Oh, spare me the mush," Iago rolled his eyes.

KHKHKHKH

Aladdin hid Iago away in a cage and ordered Abu to guard the bird for the time being. Just after that, after extracting a promise from Ariel to keep Iago a secret until Aladdin found the right moment to bring him up, they encountered Jasmine.

"Did you enjoy your tour, Ariel?" Jasmine asked the girl curiously.

"I did," Ariel agreed. They decided not to tell Jasmine about the thieves for now. They didn't want her to worry about them.

"You guys should get ready. Dinner will be soon and Father has an important announcement to make," the Princess of Heart declared.

"Will do," Aladdin agreed and they headed back towards the entrance of the palace.

Just as they were about to enter, the garden suddenly seemed to burst into life. Aladdin pulled Ariel behind him and pulled Jasmine to him protectively, not sure what to expect.

He relaxed when he recognized the blue-skinned figure that magically appeared in front of them. "Genie!"

"Hey, Al!" the jubilant figure exclaimed happily, grabbing Aladdin and Jasmine into a tight hug. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too, Genie," Aladdin smiled once he was able to breathe again. "How was your world tour?"

"It was great!" Genie exclaimed. "I saw everything that there was to see but there was one thing that it was lacking."

"What was that?" Jasmine queried curiously.

"You guys!" Genie replied back easily. "A world tour isn't quite the same when you have no one to share your experiences with."

Aladdin and Jasmine smiled, pleased to know that he still thought about them when he'd been gone.

It was at that point that the djinn noticed the girl in the background. He bypassed Jasmine and Aladdin and looked right at her. "Who might you be?" he asked her politely, looking very interested.

"I'm Ariel, it's nice to meet you," the mermaid princess introduced herself, seeing as how this strange individual seemed to be a close friend of the two in front of her.

"It's nice to meet you too. I'm Genie," the djinn declared, shaking Ariel's arm vigorously. "So would you prefer to be called Aer or El?"

"You've got to excuse Genie. He likes to give people nicknames," Aladdin explained.

"I see," Ariel smiled. "Well, if that is what you would like, you can call me Aer, I guess."

"Great, I like you, Aer," Genie said enthusiastically.

"I like you too," Ariel agreed.

Once introductions were over, Jasmine shooed Aladdin and Ariel off to get dressed while she invited Genie to dinner.

KHKHKHKH

Dinner was going well, with Genie cooking and entertaining them all. They even got Ariel to sing for all of them.

Then it was time for the Sultan to make his big announcement.

"Aladdin, you have shown me that you have a great moral character. With everything that you have done, I can see no better personal select as my new Royal Vizier," the Sultan declared, shocking Aladdin. That had been the last thing he had expected.

"Royal Vizier... wow," he muttered, not exactly sure what to think.

"Yay for Al, the new Vizier!" Genie cheered before looking confused. "What is a Royal Vizier anyways?"

The Sultan chuckled. "My most trusted advisor," he explained.

"Al would make a better one than Jafar ever did," Genie spoke faithfully. "That guy was downright crazy. Don't even get me started on Iago!"

Now Aladdin looked nervous. How was he going to soften the Sultan up about the bird if he was being reminded of all of the bad that the parrot had done?

He tried to get Genie to let up on his reminiscing but things got worse when Iago came flying in, screaming his head off as Raja chased after him. The bird hid behind Aladdin and that was when all hell broke loose.

"Guards!" an angered Sultan called out and Razoul and his goons rushed in. The Sultan pointed at Iago and R afoul grabbed the bird roughly.

He was about to behead the bird when Aladdin stopped him.

"What's going on, Aladdin?" Jasmine asked with a frown.

Aladdin floundered for a moment. This was _not _the way he had expected to go about giving Iago a second chance.

Luckily, he had Ariel on his side, this time.

"Iago saved our lives when some thieves tried to kill us. He wanted a chance to prove that he's changed for the better. As repayment for saving us, Aladdin promised to plead his case for him. He seems sincere to me," Ariel declared.

Neither the Sultan or Jasmine seemed terribly happy with the situation, but knowing what was behind Aladdin's decision to defend their former enemy, they couldn't exactly fault him.

"He'll be your full responsibility, street rat. You will watch him at all times. If he makes one wrong move, it will be on your head," Razoul declared, a bloodthirsty look on his face.

"That's fine with me," Aladdin agreed readily, causing Iago to gaze at him in surprise. He had expected Aladdin to protest. Why would he want risk his own neck for someone like him? No one had done that before...

With that established, the guards and the Sultan stocked out of the room, all of them looking very unhappy. Aladdin sighed. It could have gone a lot worse. That was when he came face to face with Jasmine, who didn't look very happy with him either.

"Why did you hide this from me?" she demanded to know. "I thought you had stopped keeping secrets, Aladdin. I guess I was wrong. You haven't changed at all."

She quickly ran off, leaving a depressed Aladdin behind who slunk away into the gardens. Ariel rushed after him.

That left Genie to attempt to convince Iago to help bring Jasmine and Aladdin get back together.

"I don't do mushy stuff!" Iago said hotly.

"Would it really kill you to do something nice for Al? He saved your life, after all. Besides... it'll be tricky," Genie said slyly and. Iago looked interested. Tricky was something he could do.

KHKHKHKH

"I've ruined everything," Aladdin said sadly.

"No you haven't," Ariel insisted. "She's just a little hurt and angry right now. She'll come around. She loves you."

Aladdin just sighed before he heard someone walking towards him. He leapt up when he saw it was Jasmine. He instantly started trying to explain himself but Jasmine hushed him.

"I understand why you did what you did, Aladdin, but from now on, just tell me won't you?" she pleaded with him. He nodded earnestly. He wouldn't make the mistake of keeping a secret from her again. Jasmine smiled sweetly. "Good."

Ariel turned her head and saw a smug-looking Iago perched on a tree. Holding out her hand, she beckoned the bird to come to her.

"Something tells me that you had something to do with Jasmine coming around," she mused.

"...Maybe," Iago said vaguely, which just amused Ariel. She kind of liked the sassy bird. He would make things very interesting during her stay in Agrabah.


	14. Unexpected Reunion

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter Fourteen: Unexpected Reunion

'_What the hell were you thinking, Cloud?_' the eldest Strife brother cursed himself as he sat beside Leon in the Gummi ship. How could he have trusted a human? It went against everything he believed in.

Without the desperation tainting his judgment anymore, Cloud was finally realizing the severity of the situation. He had wanted to get out of the tower so badly that he had run straight into the arms of the first human that had happened upon him.

He didn't know anything about Leon. Hell, he didn't even know if Leon was the human's real name. He'd been taken in by Leon's pretty words like some naive fool.

It's not like Leon had done anything to give Cloud reason to trust him... outside of rescuing him from the tower, that is. Since they'd entered the Lanes Between, Leon had been silent and cold, almost acting as if Cloud wasn't there.

Although Cloud was a pretty quiet person himself, he was used to being surrounded by his brothers' constant chatter. The silence only made him sink into himself, where all of his negative thoughts continued to plague him.

Cloud shuddered as he forced himself to stop thinking of all of the worst case scenarios. He needed to find his brothers soon. They were his light... without them, he would fall even deeper into the darkness.

"Is there something wrong?" Leon finally broke the silence, seeing the distressed look on Cloud's face.

"...No," Cloud denied, not meeting Leon's eyes.

"You just looked as if someone told you that your best friend died," Leon pointed out, a spark of curiosity going through him as he saw Cloud flinch. "You can't tell me that nothing is wrong."

"It's none of your business," the blonde snapped defensively, causing Leon to sigh in frustration.

"Look, I'm only trying to help you," the brunette attempted to reason with the blonde. "I know you don't trust me and I don't blame you. We've only just met, but I promise you, I mean you no harm."

Cloud gazed at Leon with suspicion clear in his blue eyes. Seeing the sincerity in the human's eyes, the former merman relaxed.

"I'll hold you to that," Cloud finally decided. He would trust Leon until the man gave him reason not to. That's all he could really do.

Leon relaxed as well, seeing that he would no longer have to deal with Cloud's suspicious glares for the time being. The blonde acted like a cornered and wounded animal. The Gunblader wondered what had led Cloud to be like that.

"Where are we going?" Cloud asked after a few moments of silence.

"Traverse Town," Leon explained. "I have some allies there that would be willing to keep a lookout for your brothers. Not only that, but I think we ought to take some time to train you."

Cloud look offended. "I can fight just fine," he argued. Well... he could as a merman anyways.

"I've seen you on those legs," Leon declared. "You can barely hold yourself up without stumbling around. How do you expect to do so with that giant sword of yours?"

Cloud grit his teeth and looked away. H wasn't entirely accustomed to his human body yet but that didn't make him weak.

"I take it you weren't always this way. You give off the air of a seasoned warrior so I'm guessing there is something that happened that led to you being in this condition," Leon assessed.

"A spell weakened my legs," Cloud lied, not going into more detail. That was enough for Leon. He hadn't expected the wary blonde of sharing too much information with him.

"So you need the time to regain your strength," Leon said, proving his point about why Cloud needed to train. "You won't be able to fight at full strength the way you are and I have no intention of taking you with me anywhere if you are likely to slow me down."

Cloud glowered. He wasn't going to be a burden. He'd rather die than let that happen. "Fine..." he conceded. He was going to need to get acclimated to fighting as a human if he wanted to be strong enough to save his brothers. He was strong as a merman but he had a long way to go as a human.

KHKHKHKH

Leon observed Cloud out of the corner of his eye. They had been in the Lanes Between for well over a day now and the blonde had finally given into sleep. Even when Leon had put the ship on autopilot and gone to sleep himself, the blonde had remained stubbornly awake and untrusting.

Now, after their discussion, Cloud relaxed enough to succumb to the call of sleep and Leon couldn't help but marvel over how much more relaxed his companion seemed. The perpetual frown Cloud had on his face was wiped away and he looked to be finally at peace.

Leon wondered if Cloud would ever smile... probably not until his brothers were found most likely.

'_Why am I even thinking about him like this?_' he wondered. He was considering everything that he had done since he'd met the blonde. He climbed a tower to talk to him, teased him, offered his help in Cloud's quest and rescued him from the same tower. That wasn't something he would do for just _anyone_. '_He really is a Princess..._'

Leon wasn't about to share those thoughts with Cloud, though. He had no doubt that the blonde would make good of his threat to run him through with his Buster Blade.

Leon went back to thinking about what he saw in Cloud that left such an impression on him.

The lengths the blonde would go for his family had impressed him, that much was true, but Leon was a little suspicious of Cloud's story. There was something he wasn't telling him. How had the blonde escaped his world? There was no way he could have just woken up here like he claimed. There had to be some reason someone sent him here... Leon aimed to find out what it was.

Cloud's feisty nature had captured Leon's attention too. He found it amusing and enthralling all at the same time. Cloud kept him on his toes and that made Leon want to bring more of that side out, which was why he teased him so much.

Then there was Cloud's physical appearance. As much as Leon wanted to deny it, he was quite strongly attracted to the blue-eyed beauty. His spiky hair, porcelain skin, glowing blue eyes, delicate facial features and lithe body all added up to a rather appealing sight. Leon couldn't help himself as much as he wanted to. Leon hadn't been with anybody since Rinoa and he'd intended to keep it that way.

But... could he really resist such a temptation?

'_Get a hold of yourself, Leonhart,_' Leon scolded himself. '_You promised him you wouldn't try anything._' He'd abide by his promise no matter what.

He was broken from his reverie when he heard a small whimper. Turning back to Cloud, he saw that the other man's once peaceful face was now long gone, replaced by a distressed one.

'_He's having a nightmare,_' Leon realized, wondering if he should interfere or let the nightmare run its course.

"Sora... Ven... Roxas..." Cloud moaned out, sounding heartbroken.

'_His brothers?_' Leon wondered to himself, putting the ship on autopilot. He didn't like hearing Cloud sound like that and from the looks of it, the nightmare was a bad one if the way the blonde was tossing and turning was anything to go by.

Climbing out of his chair to go to where the blonde was lying on the small cot, he tentatively reached a hand out to rouse him.

Glassy blue eyes snapped open almost instantly after Leon made contact with Cloud's shoulder and Leon suddenly found himself sprawled on the ground with the blonde in his lap with his arms wrapped around him and his face buried in his chest.

"C-Cloud?" Leon stuttered, much to his own embarrassment.

"Just shut up," Cloud pleaded, his emotions in complete chaos. He needed someone to ground him, even if he had to rely on a human to do just that.

Understanding dawned on Leon and he conceded to Cloud's wishes, wrapping his arms around the blonde and holding him as shudders wracked the younger man's body.

The nightmare must have been bad if the stubborn blonde was willing to let him see this vulnerable side to him even after he had made it clear that he didn't trust him very much.

All he could do was hold his companion until his emotions had calmed down a bit.

The moment they did, Cloud pulled himself out of Leon's arms, not looking at the man. Neither wanted to admit that they instantly missed the other's warmth.

"Thank you," he spoke reluctantly.

"No problem," Leon answered, still looking concerned for Cloud.

"Forget this ever happened," Cloud instructed calmly as he returned to his seat.

Leon nodded, eyes lingering on the faint red blush he had seen on Cloud's face as he'd passed him.

Resisting Cloud was going to be a lot harder than he thought...

KHKHKHKH

Cloud was cursing his own stupidity. How could he have been so stupid? As much as the nightmare had traumatized him, there was no excuse for burying himself in Leon's arms like that. It had been so long since he'd been held like that, though. It was usually him who was doing the holding, when he was comforting his brothers. The last one who had done that for him was Zack...

Despite himself, Cloud had enjoyed the feel of Leon's strong arms wrapped around him. It had created a warmth in him that he thought had died long ago.

Thinking back to the dream, he couldn't help but shudder again.

He'd been dreaming of being with his brothers again when things had suddenly taken a turn for the worse. The Darkness had attacked and no matter how hard Cloud had fought, he couldn't prevent his brothers from being stolen away. He could do nothing, trapped in Sephiroth's embrace, as his terrified brothers were consumed by the Darkness right before his eyes.

The thought of losing his brothers permanently terrified him beyond words. He wouldn't survive such a loss. They were all he had left...

"We're here," Leon broke through Cloud's reverie.

Cloud blinked and stared at where Leon was pointing to see a world emerging in view at long last.

"This is Traverse Town?" he queried curiously. Leon nodded.

"Many people whose worlds have fallen usually end up here," he explained.

"That's how you found your way here?" Cloud asked curiously.

"That's right," Leon agreed. "We may be able to get some information about your brothers but don't get your hopes up. There may not be any news either."

"I'll keep that in mind," Cloud replied. He knew the chances were small but it was worth checking out while they were here.

Once they landed, they collected their things and prepared to head out.

"Are you sure that you'll be okay carrying that sword around?" Leon voiced his uncertainty as he saw the blonde attach the oversized blade to his back. He recalled how clumsily the blonde had moved while in the tower.

Cloud glowered at Leon for underestimating him. "I'll be fine," he declared firmly. He'd grown accustomed to bearing the weight of the sword on his back.

Leon held his hands up in surrender before leading Cloud out.

The blonde glanced around the new world with fascination. He hadn't got a really good look of the one he had been stuck in, giving that he had been trapped in a tower.

"Is it always this dark around here?" he inquired. Leon nodded.

"Traverse Town is a world trapped between the Light and the Dark. It's stuck in Dusk, I suppose you could say," Leon explained.

"Ah," Cloud responded. "I guess that's why people who fall out of their worlds end up here?"

"I guess so," Leon agreed. "In fact, I'm a little surprised this isn't where you ended up. If you fell out of your world at random, you would be here. Being where you were, I can only deduce that somebody deliberately trapped you there. Are you sure there isn't anything else you can tell me how you got off of your world?"

Cloud averted his eyes. "I told you everything that I know," he insisted. "I don't know how I got there."

'_He's lying,_' Leon thought to himself with narrowed eyes. He wondered what was so important that Cloud had to hide how he had left his world. Leon wanted to find out but he knew that they were nowhere near a level of trust in which Cloud might confide in him.

"So where are we going?" Cloud asked, changing the subject.

"To go see Merlin, he's a wizard. He is our main contact with many of our allies, including the Keyblade Masters," Leon explained. He noted how Cloud's eyes sparked with interest at the mention of the Keyblade Masters. "You're interested in the Keyblade?"

"You can say that," Cloud responded, thinking of his brothers. "I've got a background with them."

Leon waited for Cloud to elaborate but when the blonde didn't, he just sighed. "Let's get going."

KHKHKHKH

Merlin turned and smiled at the brunette and the blonde that had entered his home.

"You came just on time," he smiled. "I was expecting your visit, Master Terra. I suppose this would be the young Ventus that Master Yen Sid spoke to me about."

Terra nodded politely at the wizard and Ven gave a shy smile.

"If you know that, I'm guessing you know why we are here," Terra remarked as they sat in two chairs facing Merlin.

"I do, but before we discuss the matter, we need to wait. Not everyone is here just yet," the wizard declared.

"What do you mean?" Ven frowned. Who else needed to get involved in this matter?

Merlin just smiled, a mysterious twinkle in his eye. "You'll see," he replied before he magicked his door open and lined a pile of pillows in front of it. It was like he was expecting something.

Terra just shrugged when Ven looked at him for explanation. No one could really make sense of the eccentric wizard.

KHKHKHKH

Cloud stopped short when he and Leon arrived at the watery pathway that led to the wizard's home.

"Is something wrong?" Leon queried, wondering what had caused Cloud to pause. He found the blonde's eyes trained on the water with a wary expression. "Don't tell me that you're scared of water too."

Cloud glared at him. He couldn't explain to Leon that he was afraid of falling into the water and revealing that he was a merman. The only thing he could say to explain his wariness, no matter how it shamed him, was...

"I can't swim."

Leon sighed, running a hand through his hair. With that knowledge, he knew that Cloud wouldn't be able to cross the pathway alone. There was still a very good chance he would fall in the water, especially with how clumsy Cloud was. He doubted telling Cloud that he would save him from drowning would provide the blonde with any reassurance.

"Unstrap your sword," the Gunblader ordered, earning a puzzled look at Cloud.

"What?" Cloud frowned, gazing at Leon suspiciously.

"We'll come back for it later. Just remove your sword," Leon repeated almost impatiently.

Cloud did as he was told reluctantly, wondering what Leon was up to. He yelped in protest when Leon suddenly swept him into his arms. "What the hell are you doing?" he hissed angrily, wrapping his arms around the other man's neck to support himself.

"Solving a problem," Leon said simply before he began to leap from rock to rock towards Merlin's home.

Cloud could do nothing more than hold on as tight as possible.

When they finally arrived at the entrance, Leon lost his balance upon his final landing and they went tumbling through the open door.

Cloud landed with a huff on top of a big pile of pillows and could only widen his eyes in alarm as Leon fell on top of him. Leon was only just able to catch himself before he and Cloud would have shared a very impromptu kiss.

At the moment, Leon was unintentionally pinning Cloud to the ground with their lips only an inch apart from another. Cloud do nothing more than stare at Leon, stunned. He felt a slight thrill run down his back, despite himself, as he saw Leon's eyes darken.

"Ahem," Merlin coughed politely and the two swordsmen snapped out of their daze. Leon rolled off of Cloud instantly, averting his eyes from the embarrassed blonde.

Clambering to his feet, Cloud turned to look at the wizard and gaped straight at the one looking at him as if he had seen a ghost.

"V-Ven?" the head of King Triton's guard stuttered, unable to believe his eyes.

"Cloud!" Ven exclaimed, rushing over and tackling his brother right back into the pillows.

Leon observed the interaction, recognizing Ven as one of the ones that Cloud had called for in his nightmare. Given how similar the two looked, there was no doubt in his mind that they were brothers.

'_Is everyone in the family this beautiful?_' Terra wondered, gazing at the two reuniting brothers curiously.

"I thought you were lost with our world," Ven babbled, not releasing his hold of his eldest brother. He had missed him...

"Did you honestly think I could let that happen when you guys need me?" Cloud asked with soft eyes, ruffling Ven's hair affectionately.

Leon couldn't take his eyes off of them. This softer side of Cloud was a real sight to see and the former SeeD found that he liked it.

"How did you get out? Don't tell me that the witch got you too," Ven frowned.

Cloud shook his head. "Sending me out of the world wouldn't have benefitted her at all after she went through the trouble of ejecting all of you. I would just bring you all back," he spoke with conviction. "I don't know how I ended up here."

He didn't like lying to Ven but he knew he could never tell anybody about the deal he had made with Sephiroth... and he couldn't exactly tell Ven anything different when Leon was still listening in.

"Do you think it was the King who sent you?" Ven wondered, sounding hopeful. It would be something that King Triton would do if it meant saving those who had been lost.

"It's a possibility," Cloud shrugged. It was the best explanation he could let his brothers believe for the time being, even if the King had fallen before he could have done such a thing. "Was this where you were sent?"

Ven shook his head. "I got thrown into a world that had already been consumed by the Darkness. If it wasn't for Terra, the Heartless would have got me for sure."

"Terra?" Cloud repeated before his eyes fell on the brunette that Ven had been sitting beside. He gazed at him critically. Terra could understand his worry. If he had a younger sibling, he would be worried about who they chose to trust when out of their element too.

He just hoped he passed Cloud's inspection.

"Do you trust him?" Cloud asked Ven. He wasn't too sure what he thought of the brunette. He seemed decent enough but there was no hiding the darkness dwelling within him.

Ven nodded earnestly. "I do. Not only is he a Keyblade Master but if he had wanted to hurt me, he would have already done so," he declared.

"Not to mention, even if I wanted to, Ven could beat my ass if he really wanted to. He packs one hell of a punch," Terra declared, a hand instinctively going to his abdomen in remembrance.

Cloud gave him a wary look. "Something tells me you know from experience," he declared, raising an eyebrow.

"I called him Princess," Terra admitted sheepishly, giving Ven an apologetic look for having mentioned it again. Something told him Cloud wasn't going to let him hide it.

They all turned when they heard Leon snort in amusement.

"What's so funny?" Ven wondered curiously. He didn't know why Cloud was glaring at the scarred man so viciously.

"It's nothing really... I'm just surprised how that title seems to run in the family," Leon smirked and Cloud reddened. The former SeeD didn't know if it was out of anger or embarrassment. It was most likely both.

"You called Cloud _Princess_?" Ven queried in awe. The guy sure had a lot of balls for that move.

"I rescued him from a tower," Leon said as if that explained everything. While Ven seemed confused, Terra understood well enough. However, he wasn't suicidal so he wasn't going to show his amusement directly in front of Ven's overprotective big brother.

Cloud was more than a little annoyed with his companion for making him lose face in front of his little brother.

Luckily, Ven didn't think any less of his brother but he was eyeing Leon in a very curious manner.

"Who are you, by the way?" the younger blonde questioned.

"Leon Leonhart," the Gunblader declared.

Ven pursed his lips in thought. The name seemed odd, considering the guy's first name was just a shortened version of his last name. "Is that your _real_ name?" he pressed.

"Ven!" Cloud scolded his brother when he saw Leon clam up. He wanted to know the answer to that question too but he knew that it was hardly the right time to do that.

"Sorry," the teen apologized once he realized he had overstepped his boundaries.

Leon simply nodded in acknowledgement before turning to Terra.

"It seems like you guys have had a head start in finding the lost brothers," he remarked,

Terra nodded. "I let Master Yen Sid, King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Aqua know of the situation and they spread out to find them. The girl that was cast off with them has been found in Agrabah and Aqua is going to collect her as we speak. As for the others, I'm not too sure about them yet," he explained.

"The Princess is safe?" Cloud perked up at the news, sighing in relief. Knowing that two of the four teenagers head come to find were safe and sound made some of the weight on Cloud's shoulders leave.

"Princess?" Terra repeated before glancing at Ven. "You didn't tell me your friend was a Princess."

"You didn't ask," Ven shrugged. While he did like Terra, he didn't feel all that comfortable sharing more than what was absolutely necessary.

"Fair enough," Terra conceded.

"Sora and Roxas are still out there somewhere," Cloud mused, looking a little worried. He hoped that they would be okay. "As long as they have their weapons they should be fine. What is it,Ven?" The eldest Strife felt a wave of dread course through him seeing the downtrodden look on his brother's face.

"That's the thing... The witch stole them from us," Ven admitted.

Cloud's jaw dropped. He hadn't expected Ursula to be capable of such a thing. "How could she have the power to steal the Keyblades? She must have had help..." he frowned, not noticing the startled look on Terra and Leon's faces.

"Your brothers are Keybearers?" Leon asked Cloud with narrowed eyes. That wasn't something that should have been kept a secret, especially if they were to be allies...

"All _three _of you have Keyblades?" Terra queried. He didn't know how that was possible. Having more than one Keybearer in a world was rare enough but to have three in the same family was something nobody had seen before.

"We don't know how it's possible either," Ven shrugged. "It just happened that way."

"No wonder that witch scattered all of you. Seeing all three of you must have scared her beyond all belief," Terra crossed his arms. One Keybearer in an area caught enough attention. He hated to imagine what it would be like being one of three in one area. It was somewhat of a miracle that they hadn't been discovered earlier.

"This makes finding them an even bigger priority. If they fall into the wrong hands, the Darkness could gain a terrifying advantage," Leon frowned.

"I won't let that happen," Cloud said sharply, recalling his dream, he would die before he let it come true and no one would stop him, not even Sephiroth.

"Then we should get you back into proper fighting condition as quickly as possible," Leon replied with a nod of approval over Cloud's conviction.

"Mind if we join you?" Terra queried. "Ven needs some work on strengthening his legs too."

Leon simply nodded, growing curious as to why two different culprits had cost the brothers their mobility. It couldn't just be a coincidence...

"Let's get started then," Cloud declared, eager to overcome this obstacle.

"Alright," Leon conceded before swooping Cloud into his arms again.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Cloud yelped, flushing in embarrassment about being held by the brunette in front of his little brother.

"We're going to have to go back the same way we came and you're afraid of the water, aren't you?" Leon pointed out. Cloud just grumbled and wrapped his arms around Leon to stabilize himself. He looked down so that he could meet nobody's eyes.

Ven watched the smirk that spread across Leon's face. If he didn't know better, he would have said that Leon enjoyed having his brother in his arms.

As Leon and Cloud left, the remaining two turned to the chuckling Merlin.

"He could have just used _Float_," the wizard commented in amusement.

"Leon's not the type to forget something like that," Terra mused.

"That means he is doing this on purpose," Ven realized. Did Leon like his brother? His eyes narrowed. He would have to keep an eye on the Gunblader. Not just anyone would be good enough for his big brother after all.

"Don't worry about your brothers, Ventus," Merlin said. "I'm certain you will all be together again sooner than you think."

"I hope so," Ven answered, thanking Merlin for his reassurance before turning to Terra. "Let's go."


End file.
